PERKINS  LIBRARY 

Duke   University 
Kare  Dooks 

« 


s 


•i 


NARRATIVE 


OF 


WILLIAM    W.    BROWN, 


FUGITIVE    SLAVE 


WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF. 


Is  there  not  some  chosen  curse, 

Some  hidden  thunder  in  the  stores  of  heaven, 
Red  with  uncommon  wrath,  to  blast  the  man 
Who  gains  his  fortune  from  the  blood  of  souls? 

Cowpkr. 


SECOND      EDITION,      ENLARGED. 

BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED  AT  THE  ANTI-SLAVERY  OFFICE, 

No.  21  Cornhill. 
1843 


70,  I  &  0 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847, 

BY    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


Stereotyped    by 
GEORGE  A.   CURTIS; 

NEW  ENGLAND  TYPE  AND  STEREOTYPE  FOUNDKRY. 


^  N-  \  , 


,  <£To   t  den 


TO  WELLS  BROWN,  OF  OHIO, 


Thirteen  years  ago,  I  came  to  your  door,  a  weary 
fugitive  from  chains  and  stripes.  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
you  took  me  in.  I  was  hungry,  and  you  fed  me. 
Naked  was  I,  and  you  clothed  me.  Even  a  name  by 
which  to  be  known  among  men,  slavery  had  denied  me. 
You  bestowed  upon  me  your  own.  Base,  indeed,  should 
I  be,  if  I  ever  forget  what  I  owe  to  you,  or  do  anything 
to  disgrace  that  honored  name  ! 

As  a  slight  testimony  of  my  gratitude  to  my  earliest 
benefactor,  I  take  the  liberty  to  inscribe  to  you  this  little 
narrative  of  the  sufferings  from  which  I  was  fleeing 
when  you  had  compassion  upon  me.  In  the  multitude 
that  you  have  succored,  it  is  very  possible  that  you  may 
not  remember  me ;  but  until  I  forget  God  and  myself,  I 
can  never  forget  you. 

Your  grateful  friend, 

William  Wells  Brown. 


70,1  GO 


NOTE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION.   . 

The  first  edition,  of  three  thousand  copies,  of  this  little  work 
was  sold  in  less  than  six  months  from  the  time  of  its  publica- 
tion. Encouraged  by  the  rapid  sale  of  the  first,  and  by  a  de- 
mand for  a  second,  edition,  the  author  has  been  led  to  enlarge 
the  work  by  the  addition  of  matter  which,  he  thinks,  will  add 
materially  to  its  value. 

And  if  it  shall  be  instrumental  in  helping  to  undo  the  heavy 
burdens,  and  letting  the  oppressed  go  free,  he  will  have  accom- 
plished the  great  desire  of  his  heart  in  publishing  this  work. 


LETTER 

FROM 

EDMUND  QUINCY,  ESQ 


Dedham,  July  1,  1847. 
To  William  W.  Brown. 

My  Dear  Friend  :  —  I  heartily  thank  you  for  the  privilege 
of  reading  the  manuscript  of  your  Narrative.  I  have  read  it 
with  deep  interest  and  strong  emotion.  I  am  much  mistaken 
if  it  be  not  greatly  successful  and  eminently  useful.  It  pre- 
sents a  different  phase  of  the  infernal  slave-system  from  that 
portrayed  in  the  admirable  story  of  Mr.  Douglass,  and  gives  na 
a  glimpse  of  its  hideous  cruelties  in  other  portions  of  its 
domain. 

Your  opportunities  of  observing  the  workings  of  this  accursed 
system  have  been  singularly  great.  Your  experiences  in  the 
Field,  in  the  House,  and  especially  on  the  River  in  the  service 
of  the  slave-trader,  Walker,  have  been  such  as  few  individuals 
have  had;  —  no  one,  certainly,  who  has  been  competent  to 
describe  them.  What  I  have  admired,  and  marvelled  at,  in 
your  Narrative,  is  the  simplicity  and  calmness  with  which  you 
describe  scenes  and  actions  which  might  well  '•'•  move  the  verv 


VI  PREPACK. 

stones  to  rise  and  mutiny"  against  the  National  Institution 
which  makes  them  possible. 

You  will  perceive  that  I  have  made  very  sparing  use  of  your 
flattering  permission  to  alter  what  you  had  written.  To  cor- 
rect a  few  errors,  which  appeared  to  be  merely  clerical  ones, 
committed  in  the  hurry  of  composition  under  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances, and  to  suggest  a  few  curtailments,  is  all  that  1 
have  ventured  to  do.  I  should  be  a  bold  man,  as  well  as  a  vain 
one,  if  I  should  attempt  to  improve  your  descriptions  of  what 
you  have  seen  and  suffered.  Some  of  the  scenes  are  not 
unworthy  of  De  Foe  himself. 

I  trust  and  believe  that  your  Narrative  will  have  a  wide  cir- 
culation. I  am  sure  it  deserves  it.  At  least,  a  man  must  be 
differently  constituted  from  me,  who  can  rise  from  the  perusal 
of  your  Narrative  without  feeling  that  he  understands  slavery 
better,  and  hates  it  worse,  than  he  ever  did  before. 
I  am,  very  faithfully  and  respectfully, 
Your  friend, 

EDMUND  QUINCY. 


PREFACE 


The  friends  of  freedom  may  well  congratulate  each  other  on 
the  appearance  of  the  following  Narrative.  It  adds  another 
volume  to  the  rapidly  increasing  anti-slavery  literature  of  the 
age.  It  has  been  remarked  by  a  close  observer  of  human 
nature,  "  Let  me  make  the  songs  of  a  nation,  and  I  care  not 
who  makes  its  laws ; "  and  it  may  with  equal  truth  be  said, 
that,  among  a  reading  people  like  our  own,  their  books  will  at 
least  give  character  to  their  laws.  It  is  an  influence  which 
goes  forth  noiselessly  upon  its  mission,  but  fails  not  to  find  its 
way  to  many  a  warm  heart,  to  kindle  on  the  altar  thereof  the 
fires  of  freedom,  which  will  one  day  break  forth  in  a  living 
flame  to  consume  oppression. 

This  little  book  is  a  voice  from  the  prison-house,  unfolding 
the  deeds  of  darkness  which  are  there  perpetrated.  Our  cause 
has  received  efficient  aid  from  this  source.  The  names  of 
those  who  have  come  from  thence,  and  battled  manfully  for  the 
right,  need  not  to  be  recorded  here.  The  works  of  some  of 
them  are  an  enduring  monument  of  praise,  and  their  perpetual 
record  shall  be  found  in  the  grateful  hearts  of  the  redeemed 
bondman. 

Few  persons  have  had  greater  facilities  for  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  slavery,  in  all  its  horrible  aspects,  than  Willi. -oi 


VIII  PREFACE. 

W.  Brown.  He  has  been  behind  the  curtain.  He  has  visited 
its  secret  chambers.  Its  iron  has  entered  his  own  soul.  The 
dearest  ties  of  nature  have  been  riven  in  his  own  person.  A 
mother  has  been  cruelly  scourged  before  his  own  eyes.  A 
father  —  alas !  slaves  have  no  father.  A  brother  has  been 
made  the  subject  of  its  tender  mercies.  A  sister  has  been 
given  up  to  the  irresponsible  control  of  the  pale-faced  oppres- 
sor. This  nation  looks  on  approvingly.  The  American  Union 
sanctions  the  deed.  The  constitution  shields  the  criminals, 
American  religion  sanctifies  the  crime.  But  the  tide  is  turn- 
ing. Already,  a  mighty  under-current  is  sweeping  onward. 
The  voice  of  warning,  of  remonstrance,  of  rebuke,  of  entreaty, 
has  gone  forth.  Hand  is  linked  in  hand,  and  heart  mingles 
with  heart,  in  this  great  work  of  the  slave's  deliverance. 

The  convulsive  throes  of  the  monster,  even  now,  give  evi- 
dence of  deep  wounds. 

The  writer  of  this  Narrative  was  hired  by  his  master  to  a 
"  soul-driver"  and  has  witnessed  all  the  horrors  of  the  traffic, 
from  the  buying  up  of  human  cattle  in  the  slave-breeding 
states,  which  produced  a  constant  scene  of  separating  the  vic- 
tims from  all  those  whom  they  loved,  to  their  final  sale  in  the 
southern  market,  to  be  worked  up  in  seven  years,  or  given  over 
to  minister  to  the  lust  of  southern  Christians. 

Many  harrowing  scenes  are  graphically  portrayed  ;  and  yet 
with  that  simplicity  and  ingenuousness  which  carries  with  it  a 
conviction  of  Untruthfulness  of  the  picture. 

This  book  will  do  much  to  unmask  those  who  have  "  clothed 
themselves  in  the  livery  of  the  court  of  heaven"  to  cover  up' 
the  enormity  of  their  deeds. 


PREFACE.  IX 

During  the  past  three  years,  the  author  has  devoted  his 
entire  energies  to  the  anti-slavery  cause.  Laboring  under  all 
the  disabilities  and  disadvantages  growing  out  of  his  education 
in  slavery  —  subjected,  as  he  had  been  from  his  birth,  to  all  the 
wrongs  and  deprivations  incident  to  his  condition  —  he  yet  went 
forth,  impelled  to  the  work  by  a  love  of  liberty  —  stimulated  by 
the  remembrance  of  his  own  sufferings  —  urged  on  by  the  con- 
sideration that  a  mother,  brothers,  and  sister,  were  still  grind- 
ing in  the  prison-house  of  bondage,  in  common  with  three  mil- 
lions of  our  Father's  children  —  sustained  by  an  unfaltering 
faith  in  the  omnipotence  of  truth  and  the  final  triumph  of  justice 
—  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  slave  ;  and  by  the  eloquence  of  ear- 
nestness carried  conviction  to  many  minds,  and  enlisted  the 
sympathy  and  secured  the  cooperation  of  many  to  the  cause. 

His  labors  have  been  chiefly  confined  to  Western  New  York, 
where  he  has  secured  many  warm  friends,  by  his  untiring  zeal, 
persevering  energy,  continued  fidelity,  and  universal  kindness. 

Reader,  are  you  an  Abolitionist  1  What  have  you  done  for 
the  slave?  What  are  you  doing  in  his  behalf?  What  do  you 
purpose  to  do  1  There  is  a  great  work  before  us !  Who  will 
be  an  idler  now  ?  This  is  the  great  humanitary  movement  of 
the  age,  swallowing  up,  for  the  time  being,  all  other  questions, 
comparatively  speaking.  The  course  of  human  events,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  unchangeable  laws  of  our  being,  is  fast  hastening 
the  final  crisis,  and 

"  Have  ye  cho3en,  O  my  people,  on  whose  party  ye  shall  stand, 
Ere  the  Doom  from  its  worn  sandal  shakes  the  dust  against  our  land  ?  " 

Are  you  a  Christian  ?  This  is  the  carrying  out  of  practical 
Christianity  ;  and  there  is  no  other.     Christianity  is  practical 


X  PREFACE. 

in  its  very  nature  and  essence.  It  is  a  life,  springing  out  of  a 
soul  imbued  with  its  spirit.  Are  you  a  friend  of  the  missionary 
cause  ?  This  is  the  greatest  missionary  enterprise  of  the  day. 
Three  millions  of  Christian,  law-manufactured  heathen  are 
longing  for  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  of  freedom.  Are 
you  a  friend  of  the  Bible  ?  Come,  then,  and  help  us  to  restore 
to  these  millions,  whose  eyes  have  been  bored  out  by  slavery, 
their  sight,  that  they  may  see  to  read  the  Bible.  Do  you  love 
God  whom  you  have  not  seen  ?  Then  manifest  that  love,  by 
restoring  to  your  brother  whom  you  have  seen  his  rightful 
inheritance,  of  which  he  has  been  so  long  and  so  cruelly 
deprived. 

It  is  not  for  a  single  generation  alone,  numbering  three  mil- 
lions—  sublime  as  would  be  that  effort — that  we  are  working. 
It  is  for  Humanity,  the  wide  world  over,  not  only  now,  but  for 
all  coming  time,  and  all  future  generations : — 

"For  he  who  settles  Freedom's  principles, 
Writes  the  death-warrant  of  all  tyranny." 

It  is  a  vast  work  —  a  glorious  enterprise — worthy  the  un- 
swerving devotion  of  the  entire  life-time  of  the  great  and  the 
good. 

Slaveholding  and  slaveholders  must  be  rendered  disreputable 
and  odious.  They  must  be  stripped  of  their  respectability  and 
Christian  reputation.  They  must  be  treated  as  "  men-steal- 
ers  —  guilty  of  the  highest  kind  of  theft,  and  sinners  of  the  first 
rank."  Their  more  guilty  accomplices  in  the  persons  of 
norttiern  apologists,  both  in  Church  and  State,  must  be  placed 
in  the  same  category.     Honest  men  must  be  made  to  look  upon 


PREFACE.  XI 

their  crimes  with  the  same  abhorrence  and  loathing  with  which 
they  regard  the  less  guilty  robber  and  assassin,  until 

"  The  common  damned  shun  their  society, 
And  look  upon  themselves  as  fiends  less  foul." 

When  a  just  estimate  is  placed  upon  the  crime  of  slave- 
holding,  the  work  will  have  been  accomplished,  and  the  glori- 
ous day  ushered  in  — 

"  When  man  nor  woman  in  all  our  wide  domain, 
Shall  buy,  or  sell,  or  hold,  or  be  a  slave." 

J.  C.  HATHAWAY. 

Farmington,  N.  Y.,  1847. 


NARRATIVE 


CHAPTER    I. 

I  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.  The  man  who 
stole  me  as  soon  as  I  was  born,  recorded  the  births 
of  all  the  infants  which  he  claimed  to  be  born  his 
property,  in  a  book  which  he  kept  for  that  purpose. 
My  mother's  name  was  Elizabeth.  She  had  seven 
children,  viz. :  Solomon,  Leander,  Benjamin,  Jo- 
seph, Millford,  Elizabeth,  and  myself.  No  two  of 
ns  were  children  of  the  same  father.  My  father's 
name,  as  I  learned  from  my  mother,  was  George 
Higgins.  He  was  a  white  man,  a  relative  of  my 
master,  and  connected  with  some  of  the  first  fam- 
ilies in  Kentucky. 

My  master  owned  about  forty  slaves,  twenty- 
five  of  whom  were  field  hands.  He  removed  from 
Kentucky  to  Missouri  when  I  was  quite  young, 
and  settled  thirty  or  forty  miles  above  St.  Charles, 
2 


14  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

on  the  Missouri,  where,  in  addition  to  his  practice 
as  a  physician,  he  carried  on  milling,  merchandiz- 
ing and  farming.  He  had  a  large  farm,  the  prin- 
cipal productions  of  which  were  tobacco  and  hemp. 
The  slave  cabins  were  situated  on  the  back  part 
of  the  farm,  with  the  house  of  the  overseer,  whose 
name  was  Grove  Cook,  in  their  midst.  He  had  the 
entire  charge  of  the  farm,  and  having  no  family, 
was  allowed  a  woman  to  keep  house  for  him, 
whose  business  it  was  to  deal  out  the  provisions 
for  the  hands. 

A  woman  was  also  kept  at  the  quarters  to  do 
the  cooking  for  the  field  hands,  who  were  sum- 
moned to  their  unrequited  toil  every  morning  a'1 
four  o'clock,  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell,  hung  on  a 
post  near  the  house  of  the  overseer.  They  were 
allowed  half  an  hour  to  eat  their  breakfast,  and  get 
to  the  field.  At  half  past  four  a  horn  was  blown 
by  the  overseer,  which  was  the  signal  to  commence 
work ;  and  every  one  that  was  not  on  the  spot  at 
the  time,  had  to  receive  ten  lashes  from  the  negro- 
whip,  with  which  the  overseer  always  went  armed. 
The  handle  was  about  three  feet  long,  with  the 
butt-end  filled  with  lead,  and  the  lash,  six  or  seven 
feet  in  length,  made  of  cow-hide,  with  platted  wire 


LIFE   OF    WILLIAM    W.  BROWN.  15 

on  the  end  of  it.  This  whip  was  put  in  requisi- 
tion very  frequently  and  freely,  and  a  small  offence 
on  the  part  of  a  slave  furnished  an  occasion  for  its 
use.  During  the  time  that  Mr.  Cook  was  overseer, 
I  was  a  house  servant — a  situation  preferable  to 
that  of  a  field  hand,  as  I  was  better  fed,  better 
clothed,  and  not  obliged  to  rise  at  the  ringing  of 
the  bell,  but  about  half  an  hour  after.  I  have  often 
laid  and  heard  the  crack  of  the  whip,  and  the 
screams  of  the  slave.  My  mother  was  a  field  hand, 
and  one  morning  was  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  behind 
the  others  in  getting  into  the  field.  As  soon  as  she 
reached  the  spot  where  they  were  at  work,  the 
overseer  commenced  whipping  her.  She  cried. 
"Oh!  pray — Oh!  pray — Oh!  pray" — these  are 
generally  the  words  of  slaves,  when  imploring 
mercy  at  the  hands  of  their  oppressors.  I  heard 
her  voice,  and  knew  it,  and  jumped  out  of  my 
bunk,  and  went  to  the  door.  Though  the  field 
was  some  distance  from  the  house,  I  could  hear 
every  crack  of  the  whip,  and  every  groan  and  cry 
of  my  poor  mother.  I  remained  at  the  door,  not 
daring  to  venture  any  further.  The  cold  chills  ran 
over  me,  and  I  wept  aloud.  After  giving  her  ten 
lashes,  the   sound  of  the  whip  ceased,  and  I  re- 


16  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

turned  to  my  bed,  and  found  no  consolation  but  in 
my  tears.  Experience  has  taught  me  that  nothing 
can  be  more  heart-rending  than  for  one  to  see  a 
dear  and  beloved  mother  or  sister  tortured,  and  to 
hear  their  cries,  and  not  be  able  to  render  them  as- 
sistance. But  such  is  the  position  which  an 
American  slave  occupies. 

My  master,  being  a  politician,  soon  found  those 
who  were  ready  to  put  him  into  office,  for 
the  favors  he  could  render  them;  and  a  few 
years  after  his  arrival  in  Missouri  he  was  elected 
to  a  seat  in  the  legislature.  In  his  absence  from 
home  everything  was  left  in  charge  of  Mr.  Cook, 
the  overseer,  and  he  soon  became  more  tyrannical 
and  cruel.  Among  the  slaves  on  the  plantation 
was  one  by  the  name  of  Randall.  He  was  a  man 
about  six  feet  high,  and  well-proportioned,  and 
known  as  a  man  of  great  strength  and  power.  He 
was  considered  the  most  valuable  and  able-bodied 
slave  on  the  plantation;  but  no  matter  how  good 
or  useful  a  slave  may  be,  he  seldom  escapes 
the  lash.  But  it  was  not  so  with  Randall.  He 
had  been  on  the  plantation  since  my  earliest  recol- 
lection, and  I  had  never  known  of  his  being  flogged. 
No  thanks  were  due  to  the  master  or  overseer  for 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  17 

this.  I  have  often  heard  him  declare  that  no 
white  man  should  ever  whip  him — that  he  would 
die  first. 

Cook,  from  the  time  that  he  came  upon  the 
plantation,  had  frequently  declared  that  he  could 
and  would  flog  any  nigger  that  was  put  into  the 
field  to  work  under  him.  My  master  had  repeat- 
edly told  him  not  to  attempt  to  whip  Randall,  but 
he  was  determined  to  try  it.  As  soon  as  he  was 
left  sole  dictator,  he  thought  the  time  had  come  to 
pat  his  threats  into  execution.  He  soon  began  to 
find  fault  with  Randall,  and  threatened  to  whip 
him  if  he  did  not  do  better.  One  day  he  gave  him 
a  very  hard  task  —  more  than  he  could  possibly 
do;  and  at  night,  the  task  not  being  performed,  he 
told  Randall  that  he  should  remember  him  the 
next  morning.  On  the  following  morning,  after 
the  hands  had  taken  breakfast,  Cook  called  out  to 
Randall,  and  told  him  that  he  intended  to  whip 
him,  and  ordered  him  to  cross  his  hands  and  be 
tied.  Randall  asked  why  he  wished  to  whip  him. 
He  answered,  because  he  had  not  finished  his  task 
the  day  before.  Randall  said  that  the  task  was  too 
great,  or  he  should  have  done  it.  Cook  said  it 
made  no  difference — he  should  whip  him.  Ran- 
2* 


18  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

dall  stood  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  said,  "Mr. 
Cook,  I  have  always  tried  to  please  you  since  you 
have  been  on  the  plantation,  and  I  find  you  are 
determined  not  to  be  satisfied  with  my  work,  let 
me  do  as  well  as  I  may.  JNo  man  has  laid  hands 
on  me,  to  whip  me,  for  the  last  ten  years,  and  I 
have  long  since  come  to  the  conclusion  not  to  be 
whipped  by  any  man  living.'5  Cook,  finding  by 
Randall's  determined  look  and  gestures,  that  he 
would  resist,  called  three  of  the  hands  from  their 
work,  and  commanded  them  to  seize  Randall,  and 
tie  him.  The  hands  stood  still ; — they  knew  Ran- 
dall—  and  they  also  knew  him  to  be  a  powerful 
man,  and  were  afraid  to  grapple  with  him.  As 
soon  as  Cook  had  ordered  the  men  to  seize  him, 
Randall  turned  to  them,  and  said — "Boys,  you 
all  know  me ;  you  know  that  I  can  handle  any 
three  of  you,  and  the  man  that  lays  hands  on  me 
shall  die.  This  white  man  can't  whip  me  himself, 
and  therefore  he  has  called  you  to  help  him."  The 
overseer  was  unable  to  prevail  upon  them  to  seize 
and  secure  Randall,  and  finally  ordered  them  all  to 
go  to  their  work  together. 

Nothing  was  said  to  Randall  by  the  overseer  for 
more  than  a  week.     One  morning,  however,  while 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  19 

the  hands  were  at  work  in  the  field,  he  came  into 
it,  accompanied  by  three  friends  of  his,  Thompson, 
Woodbridge  and  Jones.  They  came  up  to  where 
Randall  was  at  work,  and  Cook  ordered  him  to 
leave  his  work,  and  go  with  them  to  the  barn.  He 
refused  to  go ;  whereupon  he  was  attacked  by  the 
overseer  and  his  companions,  when  he  turned  upon 
them,  and  laid  them,  one  after  another,  prostrate 
on  the  ground.  Woodbridge  drew  out  his  pistol, 
and  fired  at  him,  and  brought  him  to  the  ground 
by  a  pistol  ball.  The  others  rushed  upon  him  with 
their  clubs,  and  beat  him  over  the  head  and  face, 
until  they  succeeded  in  tying  him.  He  was  then 
taken  to  the  barn,  and  tied  to  a  beam.  Cook  gave 
him  over  one  hundred  lashes  with  a  heavy  cow- 
hide, had  him  washed  with  salt  and  water,  and 
left  him  tied  during  the  day.  The  next  day  he 
was  untied,  and  taken  to  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and 
had  a  ball  and  chain  attached  to  his  leg.  He  was 
compelled  to  labor  in  the  field,  and  perform  the 
same  amount  of  work  that  the  other  hands  did. 
When  his  master  returned  home,  he  was  much 
pleased  to  find  that  Randall  had  been  subdued  in 
his  absence. 


20  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    II. 

Soon  afterwards,  my  master  removed  to  the 
city  of  St.  Louis,  and  purchased  a  farm  four  miles 
from  there,  which  he  placed  under  the  charge  of 
an  overseer  by  the  name  of  Friend  Haskell.  He 
was  a  regular  Yankee  from  New  England.  The 
Yankees  are  noted  for  making  the  most  cruel  over- 
seers. 

My  mother  was  hired  out  in  the  city,  and  I  was 
also  hired  out  there  to  Major  Freeland,  who  kept  a 
public  house.  He  was  formerly  from  Virginia,  and 
was  a  horse-racer,  cock-fighter,  gambler,  and 
withal  an  inveterate  drunkard.  There  were  ten 
or  twelve  servants  in  the  house,  and  when  he  was 
present,  it  was  cut  and  slash — knock  down  and 
drag  out.  In  his  fits  of  anger,  he  would  take  up  a 
chair,  and  throw  it  at  a  servant ;  and  in  his  more 
rational  moments,  when  he  wished  to  chastise  one, 
he  would  tie  them  up  in  the  smoke-house,  and 
whip  them ;  after  which,  he  would  cause  a  fire  to 
be  made  of  tobacco  stems,  and  smoke  them.  This 
he  called  "Virginia  play" 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  21 

I  complained  to  my  master  of  the  treatment 
which  I  received  from  Major  Freeland;  but  it 
made  no  difference.  He  cared  nothing  about  it,  so 
long  as  he  received  the  money  for  my  labor.  After 
living  with  Major  Freeland  five  or  six  months,  I 
ran  away,  and  went  into  the  woods  back  of  the 
city ;  and  when  night  came  on,  I  made  my  way  to 
my  master's  farm,  but  was  afraid  to  be  seen, 
knowing  that  if  Mr.  Haskell,  the  overseer,  should 
discover  me,  I  should  be  again  carried  back  to 
Major  Freeland ;  so  I  kept  in  the  woods.  One  day, 
while  in  the  woods,  I  heard  the  barking  and  howl- 
ing of  dogs,  and  in  a  short  time  they  came  so  near 
that  I  knew  them  to  be  the  bloodhounds  of  Major 
Benjamin  O' Fallon.  He  kept  five  or  six,  to  hunt 
runaway  slaves  with. 

As  soon  as  I  was  convinced  that  it  was  them,  I 
knew  there  was  no  chance  of  escape.  I  took  refuge 
in  the  top  of  a  tree,  and  the  hounds  were  soon  at 
its  base,  and  there  remained  until  the  hunters  came 
up  in  a  half  or  three  quarters  of  an  hour  after- 
wards. There  were  two  men  with  the  dogs,  who, 
as  soon  as  they  came  up,  ordered  me  to  descend. 
I  came  down,  was  tied,  and  taken  to  St.  Louis  jail. 
Major  Freeland  soon  made  his  appearance,  and 


22  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

took  me  out,  and  ordered  me  to  follow  him,  which 
I  did.  After  we  returned  home.  I  was  tied  up  in 
the  smoke-house,  and  was  very  severely  whipped. 
After  the  major  had  flogged  me  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  sent  out  his  son  Robert,  a  young  man  eighteen 
or  twenty  years  of  age,  to  see  that  I  was  well 
smoked.  He  made  a  fire  of  tobacco  stems,  which 
soon  set  me  to  coughing  and  sneezing.  This, 
Robert  told  me,  was  the  way  his  father  used  to  do 
to  his  slaves  in  Virginia.  After  giving  me  what 
they  conceived  to  be  a  decent  smoking,  I  was 
untied  and  again  set  to  work. 

Robert  Freeland  was  a  "chip  of  the  old  block." 
Though  quite  young,  it  was  not  unfrequently  that 
he  came  home  in  a  state  of  intoxication.  He  is 
now,  I  believe,  a  popular  commander  of  a  steam- 
boat on  the  Mississippi  river.  Major  Freeland 
soon  after  failed  in  business,  and  I  was  put  on 
board  the  steamboat  Missouri,  which  plied  between 
St.  Louis  and  Galena.  The  commander  of  the 
boat  was  William  B.  Culver.  I  remained  on  her 
during  the  sailing  season,  which  was  the  most 
pleasant  time  for  me  that  I  had  ever  experienced. 
At  the  close  of  navigation  I  was  hired  to  Mr.  John 
Colbum,  keeper  of  the  Missouri  Hotel.     He  was 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  23 

from  one  of  the  free  states ;  but  a  more  inveterate 
hater  of  the  negro  I  do  not  believe  ever  walked 
God's  green  earth.  This  hotel  was  at  that  time 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  city,  and  there  were  em- 
ployed in  it  twenty  or  thirty  servants,  mostly 
slaves. 

Mr.  Colburn  was  very  abusive,  not  only  to  the 
servants,  but  to  his  wife  also,  who  was  an  excel- 
lent woman,  and  one  from  whom  I  never  knew  a 
servant  to  receive  a  harsh  word ;  but  never  did  I 
know  a  kind  one  to  a  servant  from  her  husband. 
Among  the  slaves  employed  in  the  hotel  was  one 
by  the  name  of  Aaron,  who  belonged  to  Mr.  John 
F.  Darby,  a  lawyer.  Aaron  was  the  knife-cleaner. 
One  day,  one  of  the  knives  was  put  on  the  table, 
not  as  clean  as  it  might  have  been.  Mr.  Colburn, 
for  this  offence,  tied  Aaron  up  in  the  wood-house, 
and  gave  him  over  fifty  lashes  on  the  bare  back 
with  a  cow-hide,  after  which,  he  made  me  wash 
him  down  with  rum.  This  seemed  to  put  him  into 
more  agony  than  the  whipping.  After  being  un- 
tied he  went  home  to  his  master,  and  complained 
of  the  treatment  which  he  had  received.  Mr. 
Darby  would  give  no  heed  to  anything  he  had  to 
say,  but  sent  him  directly  back.    Colburn,  learning 


24  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

that  he  had  been  to  his  master  with  complaints,  tied 
him  up  again,  and  gave  him  a  more  severe  whip- 
ping than  before.  The  poor  fellow's  back  was  lit- 
erally cut  to  pieces ;  so  much  so,  that  he  was  not 
able  to  work  for  ten  or  twelve  days. 

There  was,  also,  among  the  servants,  a  girl 
whose  master  resided  in  the  country.  Her  name 
was  Patsey.  Mr.  Colburn  tied  her  up  one  evening, 
and  whipped  her  until  several  of  the  boarders  came 
out  and  begged  him  to  desist.  The  reason  for 
whipping  her  was  this.  She  was  engaged  to  be 
married  to  a  man  belonging  to  Major  William 
Christy,  who  resided  four  or  five  miles  north  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Colburn  had  forbid  her  to  see  John 
Christy.  The  reason  of  this  was  said  to  be  the 
regard  which  he  himself  had  for  Patsey.  She 
went  to  meeting  that  evening,  and  John  returned 
home  with  her.  Mr.  Colburn  had  intended  to  flog 
John,  if  he  came  within  the  inclosure ;  but  John 
knew  too  well  the  temper  of  his  rival,  and  kept  at 
a  safe  distance:  —  so  he  took  vengeance  on  the 
poor  girl.  If  all  the  slave-drivers  had  been  called 
together,  I  do  not  think  a  more  cruel  man  than 
John  Colburn — and  he  too  a  northern  man — could 
have  been  found  among  them. 


LIFE   OF   WILLIAM   W.    BROWN.  25 

While  living  at  the  Missouri  hotel,  a  circum- 
stance occurred  which  caused  me  great  unhappi- 
ness.  My  master  sold  my  mother,  and  all  her 
children,  except  myself.  They  were  sold  to  differ- 
ent persons  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis. 
3 


NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    III. 

I  was  soon  after  taken  from  Mr.  Colburn's,  and 
hired  to  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  who  was  at  that  time 
publisher  and  editor  of  the  "St.  Louis  Times."  My 
work,  while  with  him,  was  mainly  in  the  printing 
office,  waiting  on  the  hands,  working  the  press, 
&c.  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  a  very  good  man,  and  de- 
cidedly the  best  master  that  I  had  ever  had.  I  am 
chiefly  indebted  to  him,  and  to  my  employment  in 
the  printing  office,  for  what  little  learning  I  obtained 
while  in  slavery. 

Though  slavery  is  thought,  by  some,  to  be  mild 
in  Missouri,  when  compared  with  the  cotton,  sugar 
and  rice  growing  states,  yet  no  part  of  our  slave- 
holding  country  is  more  noted  for  the  barbarity  of 
its  inhabitants  than  St.  Louis.  It  was  here  that 
Col.  Harney,  a  United  States  officer,  whipped  a 
slave  woman  to  death.  It  was  here  that  Francis 
Mcintosh,  a  free  colored  man  from  Pittsburg,  was 
taken  from  the  steamboat  Flora  and  burned  at  the 
stake.  During  a  residence  of  eight  years  in  this 
city,   numerous  cases  of  extreme  cruelty  came* 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  27 

under  my  own  observation; — to  record  them  all 
would  occupy  more  space  than  could  possibly  be 
allowed  in  this  little  volume.  I  shall,  therefore, 
give  but  a  few  more  in  addition  to  what  I  have 
already  related. 

Capt.  J.  B.  Brant,  who  resided  near  my  master, 
had  a  slave  named  John.  He  was  his  body  ser- 
vant, carriage  driver,  &c.  On  one  occasion,  while 
driving  his  master  through  the  city — the  streets 
being  very  muddy,  and  the  horses  going  at  a  rapid 
rate — some  mud  spattered  upon  a  gentleman  by 
the1  name  of  Robert  More.  More  was  determined 
to  be  revenged.  Some  three  or  four  months  after 
this  occurrence,  he  purchased  John,  for  the  express 

purpose,  as  he  said,  "to  tame  the  d d  nigger." 

After  the  purchase  he  took  him  to  a  blacksmith's 
shop,  and  had  a  ball  and  chain  fastened  to  his  leg, 
and  then  put  him  to  driving  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
kept  him  at  hard  labor,  until  the  iron  around  his 
leg  was  so  worn  into  the  flesh,  that  it  was  thought 
mortification  would  ensue.  In  addition  to  this, 
John  told  me  that  his  master  whipped  him  regu- 
larly three  times  a  week  for  the  first  two  months : 
— and  all  this  to  "lame  him."  A  more  noble- 
looking  man  than  he  was  not  to  be  found  in  all  St. 


28  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

Louis,  before  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  More ;  and  a 
more  degraded  and  spirit-crushed  looking  being 
was  never  seen  on  a  southern  plantation,  after  he 
had  been  subjected  to  this  "taming"  process  for 
three  months.  The  last  time  that  I  saw  him,  he 
had  nearly  lost  the  entire  use  of  his  limbs. 

While  living  with  Mr.  Lovejoy,  I  was  often  sent  on 
errands  to  the  office  of  the  "  Missouri  Republican," 
published  by  Mr.  Edward  Charless.  Once,  while 
returning  to  the  office  with  type,  I  was  attacked  by 
several  large  boys,  sons  of  slave-holders,  who 
pelted  me  with  snow-balls.  Having  the  heavy 
form  of  type  in  my  hands,  I  could  not  make  my 
escape  by  running ;  so  I  laid  down  the  type  and 
gave  them  battle.  They  gathered  around  me, 
pelting  me  with  stones  and  sticks,  until  they  over- 
powered me,  and  would  have  captured  me,  if  I  had 
not  resorted  to  my  heels.  Upon  my  retreat  they 
took  possession  of  the  type ;  and  what  to  do  to  re- 
gain it  I  could  not  devise.  Knowing  Mr.  Lovejoy 
to  be  a  very  humane  man,  I  went  to  the  office  and 
laid  the  case  before  him.  He  told  me  to  remain  in 
the  office.  He  took  one  of  the  apprentices  with 
him  and  went  after  the  type,  and  soon  returned 
with  it;  but  on  his  return  informed  me  that  Samuel 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  29 

McKinney  had  told  him  he  would  whip  me, 
because  I  had  hurt  his  boy.  Soon  after,  McKinney 
was  seen  making  his  way  to  the  office  by  one  of 
the  printers,  who  informed  me  of  the  fact,  and  I 
made  my  escape  through  the  back  door. 

McKinney  not  being  able  to  find  me  on  his  arri- 
val, left  the  office  in  a  great  rage,  swearing  that  he 
would  whip  me  to  death.  A  few  days  after,  as  I 
was  walking  along  Main  street,  he  seized  me  by 
the  collar,  and  struck  me  over  the  head  five  or  six 
times  with  a  large  cane,  which  caused  the  blood  to 
gush  from  my  nose  and  ears  in  such  a  manner  that 
my  clothes  were  completely  saturated  with  blood. 
After  beating  me  to  his  satisfaction  he  let  me  go, 
and  I  returned  to  the  office  so  weak  from  the  loss 
of  blood  that  Mr.  Lovejoy  sent  me  home  to  my 
master.  It  was  five  weeks  before  I  was  able  to 
walk  again.  During  this  time  it  was  necessary  to 
have  some  one  to  supply  my  place  at  the  office, 
and  I  lost  the  situation. 

After  my  recovery,  I  was  hired  to  Capt.  Otis 
Reynolds,  as  a  waiter  on  board  the  steamboat  En- 
terprise, owned  by  Messrs.  John  and  Edward 
Walsh,  commission  merchants  at  St.  Louis.  This 
boat  was  then  running  on  the  upper  Mississippi. 
3* 


30  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

My  employment  on  board  was  to  wait  on  gentlemen, 
and  the  captain  being  a  good  man,  the  situation 
was  a  pleasant  one  to  me; — but  in  passing  from 
place  to  place,  and  seeing  new  faces  every  day,  and 
knowing  that  they  could  go  where  they  pleased,  I 
soon  became  unhappy,  and  several  times  thought 
of  leaving  the  boat  at  some  landing-place,  and  try- 
ing to  make  my  escape  to  Canada,  which  I  had 
heard  much  about  as  a  place  where  the  slave  might 
live,  be  free,  and  be  protected. 

But  whenever  such  thoughts  would  come  into 
my  mind,  my  resolution  would  soon  be  shaken  by 
the  remembrance  that  my  dear  mother  was  a  slave 
in  St.  Louis,  and  I  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  Jeav- 
liig  her  in  that  condition.  She  had  often  taken  me 
upon  her  knee,  and  told  me  how  she  had  carded 
me  upon  her  back  to  the  field  when  I  was  an 
infant  —  how  often  she  had  been  whipped  for  leav- 
ing her  work  to  nurse  me  —  and  how  happy  1 
would  appear  when  she  would  take  me  into  her 
arms.  When  these  thoughts  came  over  inc.  I 
would  resolve  never  to  leave  the  land  of  slavery 
without  my  mother.  I  thought  that  to  leave  her 
in  slavery,  after  she  had  undergone  and  suffered  so 
much  for  toe.  would  be   proving  recreant  to  the 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  31 

duty  which  I  owed  to  her.  Besides  this,  I  had  three 
brothers  and  a  sister  there — two  of  my  brothers 
having  died. 

My  mother,  tiny  brothers  Joseph  and  Millford, 
and  my  sister  Elizabeth,  belonged  to  Mr.  Isaac 
Mansfield,  formerly  from  one  of  the  free  states. 
(Massachusetts,  I  believe.)  He  was  a  tinner  by- 
trade,  and  carried  on  a  large  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment. Of  all  my  relatives,  mother  was  first, 
and  sister  next.  One  evening,  while  visiting  them. 
I  made  some  allusion  to  a  proposed  journey  to 
Canada,  and  sister  took  her  seat  by  my  side,  and 
taking  my  hand  in  hers,  said,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes  — 

"  Brother,  you  are  not  going  to  leave  mother 
and  your  dear  sister  here  without  a  friend,  are 
you?" 

I  looked  into  her  face,  as  the  tears  coursed 
swiftly  down  her  cheeks,  and  bursting  into  tears 
myself,  said — 

"  No,  I  will  never  desert  you  and  mother  !  *" 
She  clasped  my  hand  in  hers,  and  said — 
"Brother,   you   have  often  declared   that  you 
would  not  end  your  days  in  slavery.     I  see  no  pos- 
sible way  in  which  you  can  escape  with  us ;  and 


32  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

now,  brother,  you  are  on  a  steamboat  where  there 
is  some  chance  for  you  to  escape  to  a  land  of  lib- 
erty. I  beseech  you  not  to  let  us  hinder  you.  If 
we  cannot  get  our  liberty,  we  do  not  wish  to  be  the 
means  of  keeping  you  from  a  land  of  freedom." 

I  could  restrain  my  feelings  no  longer,  and  an 
outburst  of  my  own  feelings  caused  her  to  cease 
speaking  upon  that  subject.  In  opposition  to  their 
wishes,  I  pledged  myself  not  to  leave  them  in  the 
hand  of  the  oppressor.  I  took  leave  of  them,  and 
returned  to  the  boat,  and  laid  down  in  my  bunk; 
but  "sleep  departed  from  mine  eyes,  and  slumber 
from  mine  eyelids." 

A  few  weeks  after,  on  our  downward  passage, 
the  boat  took  on  board,  at  Hannibal,  a  drove  of 
slaves,  bound  for  the  New  Orleans  market.  They 
numbered  from  fifty  to  sixty,  consisting  of  men 
and  women  from  eighteen  to  forty  years  of  age.  A 
drove  of  slaves  on  a  southern  steamboat,  bound  for 
the  cotton  or  sugar  regions,  is  an  occurrence  so 
iommon,  that  no  one,  not  even  the  passengers, 
appear  to  notice  it,  though  they  clank  their  chains 
it  every  step.  There  was,  however,  one  in  this 
gang  that  attracted  the  attention  of  the  passengers 
and  crew.       It   was  a   beautiful   girl,   apparently 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  33 

about  twenty  years  of  age,  perfectly  white,  with 
straight  light  hair  and  blue  eyes.  But  it  was  not 
the  whiteness  of  her  skin  that  created  such  a  sen- 
sation among  those  who  gazed  upon  her — it  was 
her  almost  unparalleled  beauty.  She  had  been 
on  the  boat  but  a  short  time,  before  the  attention 
of  all  the  passengers,  including  the  ladies,  had  been 
called  to  her,  and  the  common  topic  of  conversation 
was  about  the  beautiful  slave-girl.  She  was  not 
in  chains.  The  man  who  claimed  this  article  of 
human  merchandise  was  a  Mr.  Walker — a  well 
known  slave-trader,  residing  in  St.  Louis.  There 
was  a  general  anxiety  among  the  passengers  and 
crew  to  learn  the  history  of  the  girl.  Her  master 
kept  close  by  her  side,  and  it  would  have  been  con- 
sidered impudent  for  any  of  the  passengers  to  have 
spoken  to  her,  and  the  crew  were  not  allowed  to 
have  any  conversation  with  them.  When  we 
reached  St.  Louis,  the  slaves  were  removed  to  a 
boat  bound  for  New  Orleans,  and  the  history  of  the 
beautiful  slave-girl  remained  a  mystery. 

I  remained  on  the  boat  during  the  season,  and  it 
was  not  an  unfrequent  occurrence  to  have  on  board 
gangs  of  slaves  on  their  way  to  the  cotton,  sugar 
and  rice  plantations  of  the  south. 


34  NARRATIVE   OF   THE 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  Captain 
Reynolds  left  the  boat,  and  I  was  sent  home.  I 
was  then  placed  on  the  farm,  under  Mr.  Haskell, 
the  overseer.  As  I  had  been  some  time  out  of  the 
field,  and  not  accustomed  to  work  in  the  burning 
sun,  it  was  very  hard ;  but  I  was  compelled  to  keep 
up  with  the  best  of  the  hands. 

I  foimd  a  great  difference  between  the  work  in  a 
steamboat  cabin  and  that  in  a  corn-field. 

My  master,  who  was  then  living  in  the  city,  soon 
after  removed  to  the  farm,  when  I  was  taken  out  of 
the  field  to  work  in  the  house  as  a  waiter.  Though 
his  wife  was  very  peevish,  and  hard  to  please,  I 
much  preferred  to  be  under  her  control  than  the 
overseers.  They  brought  with  them  Mr.  Sloane, 
a  Presbyterian  minister;  Miss  Martha  Tulley,  a 
niece  of  theirs  from  Kentucky ;  and  their  nephew 
William.  The  latter  had  been  in  the  family  a 
number  of  years,  but  the  others  were  all  new- 
comers. 

Mr.  Sloane  was  a  young  minister,  who  had  been 
at  the  South  but  a  short  time,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
his  whole  aim  was  to  please  the  slaveholders,  es- 
pecially my  master  and  mistress.  He  was  intend- 
ing to  make  a  visit  during  the  winter,  and  he  not 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  35 

only  tried  to  please  them,  but  I  think  he  succeeded 
admirably.  When  they  wanted  singing,  he  sung ; 
when  they  wanted  praying,  he  prayed;  when 
they  wanted  a  story  told,  he  told  a  story.  Instead 
of  his  teaching  my  master  theology,  my  master 
taught  theology  to  him.  While  I  was  with  Cap- 
tain Reynolds  my  master  "  got  religion,"  and  new 
laws  were  made  on  the  plantation.  Formerly  we 
had  the  privilege  of  hunting,  fishing,  making 
splint  brooms,  baskets,  &c.,  on  Sunday;  but  this 
was  all  stopped.  Every  Sunday  we  were  all  com- 
pelled to  attend  meeting.  Master  was  so  religious 
that  he  induced  some  others  to  join  him  in  hiring 
a  preacher  to  preach  to  the  slaves. 


36  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    IV. 

My  master  had  family  worship,  night  and  morn- 
ing. At  night  the  slaves  were  called  in  to  attend ; 
but  in  the  mornings  they  had  to  be  at  their  work, 
and  master  did  all  the  praying.  My  master  and 
mistress  were  great  lovers  of  mint  julep,  and  every 
morning,  a  pitcher-full  was  made,  of  which  they 
all  partook  freely,  not  excepting  little  master  Wil- 
liam. After  drinking  freely  all  round,  they  would 
have  family  worship,  and  then  breakfast.  I  cannot 
say  but  I  loved  the  julep  as  well  as  any  of  them, 
and  during  prayer  was  always  careful  to  seat  my- 
self close  to  the  table  where  it  stood,  so  as  to  help 
myself  when  they  were  all  busily  engaged  in  their 
devotions.  By  the  time  prayer  was  over,  I  was 
about  as  happy  as  any  of  them.  A  sad  accident 
happened  one  morning.  In  helping  myself,  and  at 
at  the  same  time  keeping  an  eye  on  my  old  mis- 
tress, I  accidentally  let  the  pitcher  fall  upon  the 
floor,  breaking  it  in  pieces,  and  spilling  the  con- 
tents.    This  was  a  bad  affair  for  me ;  for  as  soon 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  37 

as  prayer  was  over,  I  was  taken  and  severely 
chastised. 

My  master's  family  consisted  of  himself,  his 
wife,  and  their  nephew,  William  Moore.  He  was 
taken  into  the  family  when  only  a  few  weeks  of 
age.  His  name  being  that  of  my  own,  mine  was 
changed  for  the  purpose  of  giving  precedence  to 
his,  though  I  was  his  senior  by  ten  or  twelve 
years.  The  plantation  being  four  miles  from  the 
city,  I  had  to  drive  the  family  to  church.  I  always 
dreaded  the  approach  of  the  Sabbath ;  for,  during 
service,  I  was  obliged  to  stand  by  the  horses  in  the 
hot,  broiling  sun,  or  in  the  rain,  just  as  it  happened. 

One  Sabbath,  as  we  were  driving  past  the  house 
of  D.  D.  Page,  a  gentleman  who  owned  a  large 
baking  establishment,  as  I  was  sitting  upon  the 
box  of  the  carriage,  which  was  very  much  elevated. 
I  saw  Mr.  Page  pursuing  a  slave  around  the 
yard  with  a  long  whip,  cutting  him  at  every  jump. 
The  man  soon  escaped  from  the  yard,  and  was 
followed  by  Mr.  Page.  They  came  running  past 
us,  and  the  slave,  perceiving  that  he  would  be  over- 
taken, stopped  suddenly,  and  Page  stumbled  over 
him,  and  falling  on  the  stone  pavement,  fractured 
one  of  his  legs,  which  crippled  him  for  life.  The 
1 


38  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

same  gentleman,  but  a  short  time  previous,  tied  up 
a  woman  of  his,  by  the  name  of  Delphia,  and 
whipped  her  nearly  to  death ;  yet  he  was  a  deacon 
in  the  Baptist  church,  in  good  and  regular  stand- 
ing. Poor  Delphia !  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
her,  and  called  to  see  her  while  upon  her  sick  bed ; 
and  I  shall  never  forget  her  appearance.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  same  church  with  her  master. 

Soon  after  this,  I  was  hired  out  to  Mr.  Walker, 
the  same  man  whom  I  have  mentioned  as  having 
carried  a  gang  of  slaves  down  the  river  on  the 
steamboat  Enterprise.  Seeing  me  in  the  capacity 
of  a  steward  on  the  boat,  and  thinking  that  I  would 
make  a  good  hand  to  take  care  of  slaves,  he  deter- 
mined to  have  me  for  that  purpose;  and  finding 
that  my  master  would  not  sell  me,  he  hired  me  for 
the  term  of  one  year. 

When  I  learned  the  fact  of  my  having  been 
hired  to  a  negro  speculator,  or  a  "soul  driver,"  as 
they  are  generally  called  among  slaves,  no  one  can 
tell  my  emotions.  Mr.  Walker  had  offered  a  high 
price  for  me,  as  I  afterwards  learned,  but  I  suppose 
my  master  was  restrained  from  selling  me  by  the 
fact  that  I  was  a  near  relative  of  his.  On  entering 
the  service  of  Mr.  Walker,  I  found  that  my  oppor- 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  39 

tunity  of  getting  to  a  land  of  liberty  was  gone,  at 
least  for  the  time  being.  He  had  a  gang  of  slaves 
in  readiness  to  start  for  New  Orleans,  and  in  a  few 
days  we  were  on  our  journey.  I  am  at  a  loss  for 
language  to  express  my  feelings  on  that  occasion. 
Although  my  master  had  told  me  that  he  had  not 
sold  me,  and  Mr.  Walker  had  told  me  that  he  had 
not  purchased  me,  I  did  not  believe  them ;  and  not 
until  I  had  been  to  New  Orleans,  and  was  on  my 
return,  did  I  believe  that  I  was  not  sold. 

There  was  on  the  boat  a  large  room  on  the  lower 
deck,  in  which  the  slaves  were  kept,  men  and 
women,  promiscuously  —  all  chained  two  and  two, 
and  a  strict  watch  kept  that  they  did  not  get  loose ; 
for  cases  have  occurred  in  which  slaves  have  got 
off  their  chains,  and  made  their  escape  at  landing- 
places,  while  the  boats  were  taking  in  wood; — and 
with  all  our  care,  we  lost  one  woman  who  had 
been  taken  from  her  husband  and  children,  and 
having  no  desire  to  live  without  them,  in  the 
agony  of  her  soul  jumped  overboard,  and  drowned 
herself.     She  was  not  chained. 

It  was  almost  impossible  to  keep  that  part  of  the 
boat  clean. 

On  landing  at  Natchez,  the  slaves  were  all  carried 


40  NAKRATIVE    OF    THE 

to  the  slave-pen,  and  there  kept  one  week,  during 
which  time  several  of  them  were  sold.  Mr.  Walker 
fed  his  slaves  well.  We  took  on  board  at  St. 
Louis  several  hundred  pounds  of  bacon  (smoked 
meat)  and  corn-meal,  and  his  slaves  were  better 
fed  than  slaves  generally  were  in  Natchez,  so  far  as 
my  observation  extended. 

At  the  end  of  a  week,  we  left  for  New  Orleans, 
the  place  of  our  final  destination,  which  we  reached 
in  two  days.  Here  the  slaves  were  placed  in  a 
negro-pen,  where  those  who  wished  to  purchase 
could  call  and  examine  them.  The  negro-pen  is 
a  small  yard,  surrounded  by  buildings,  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  wide,  with  the  exception  of  a  large 
gate  with  iron  bars.  The  slaves  are  kept  in  the 
buildings  during  the  night,  and  turned  out  into  the 
yard  during  the  day.  After  the  best  of  the  stock 
was  sold  at  private  sale  at  the  pen,  the  balance 
were  taken  to  the  Exchange  Coffee-House  Auction 
Rooms,  kept  by  Isaac  L.  McCoy,  and  sold  at  pub- 
lic auction.  After  the  sale  of  this  lot  of  slaves,  we 
left  New  Orleans  for  St.  Louis. 


LIFE   OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  41 


CHAPTER   V. 

On  our  arrival  at  St.  Louis  I  went  to  Dr.  Young, 
and  told  him  that  I  did  not  wish  to  live  with  Mr. 
Walker  any  longer.  I  was  heart-sick  at  seeing  my 
fellow-creatures  bought  and  sold.  But  the  Dr.  had 
hired  me  for  the  year,  and  stay  I  must.  Mr. 
Walker  again  commenced  purchasing  another 
gang  of  slaves.  He  bought  a  man  of  Colonel  John 
O'Fallon,  who  resided  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 
This  man  had  a  wife  and  three  children.  As  soon 
as  the  purchase  was  made,  he  was  put  in  jail  for 
safe  keeping,  until  we  should  be  ready  to  start  for 
New  Orleans.  His  wife  visited  him  while  there, 
several  times,  and  several  times  when  she  went 
for  that  purpose  was  refused  admittance. 

In  the  course  of  eight  or  nine  weeks  Mr.  Walker 
had  his  cargo  of  human  flesh  made  up.  There 
was  in  this  lot  a  number  of  old  men  and  women, 
some  of  them  with  gray  locks.  We  left  St.  Louis 
in  the  steamboat  Carlton,  Captain  Swan,  bound  for 
New  Orleans.  On  our  way  down,  and  before  we 
4* 


42  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

reached  Rodney,  the  place  where  we  made  our 
first  stop,  I  had  to  prepare  the  old  slaves  for  mar- 
ket. I  was  ordered  to  have  the  old  men's  whiskers 
shaved  off,  and  the  grey  hairs  plucked  out  where 
they  were  not  too  numerous,  in  which  case  he  had 
a  preparation  of  blacking  to  color  it,  and  with  a 
blacking  brush  we  would  put  it  on.  This  was 
new  business  to  me,  and  was  performed  in  a  room 
where  the  passengers  could  not  see  us.  These 
slaves  were  also  taught  how  old  they  were  by  Mr. 
Walker,  and  after  going  through  the  blacking  pro- 
cess they  looked  ten  or  fifteen  years  younger ;  and 
I  am  sure  that  some  of  those  who  purchased  slaves 
of  Mr.  Walker  were  dreadfully  cheated,  especially 
in  the  ages  of  the  slaves  which  they  bought. 

We  landed  at  Rodney,  and  the  slaves  were 
driven  to  the  pen  in  the  back  part  of  the  village. 
Several  were  sold  at  this  place,  during  our  stay  of 
four  or  five  days,  when  we  proceeded  to  Natchez. 
There  we  landed  at  night,  and  the  gang  were  put 
in  the  warehouse  until  morning,  when  they  were 
driven  to  the  pen.  As  soon  as  the  slaves  are  put 
in  these  pens,  swarms  of  planters  may  be  seen  in 
and  about  them.  They  knew  when  Walker  was 
expected,  as  he  always  had  the  time  advertised 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  43 

beforehand  when  he  would  be  in  Rodney,  Natchez, 
and  New  Orleans.  These  were  the  principal 
places  where  he  offered  his  slaves  for  sale. 

When  at  Natchez  the  second  time,  I  saw  a  slave 
very  cruelly  whipped.  He  belonged  to  a  Mr. 
Broadwell,  a  merchant  who  kept  a  store  on  the 
wharf.  The  slave's  name  was  Lewis.  I  had 
known  him  several  years,  as  he  was  formerly  from 
St.  Louis.  We  were  expecting  a  steamboat  down 
the  river,  in  which  we  were  to  take  passage  for 
New  Orleans.  Mr.  Walker  sent  me  to  the  landing 
to  watch  for  the  boat,  ordering  me  to  inform  him  on 
its  arrival.  While  there  I  went  into  the  store  to 
see  Lewis.  I  saw  a  slave  in  the  store,  and  asked 
him  where  Lewis  was.  Said  he,  "  They  have  got 
Lewis  hanging  between  the  heavens  and  the 
earth."  I  asked  him  what  he  meant  by  that.  He 
told  me  to  go  into  the  warehouse  and  see.  I  went 
in,  and  found  Lewis  there.  He  was  tied  up  to  a 
beam,  with  his  toes  just  touching  the  floor.  As 
there  was  no  one  in  the  warehouse  but  himself,  I 
inquired  the  reason  of  his  being  in  that  situation. 
He  said  Mr.  Broadwell  had  sold  his  wife  to  a 
planter  six  miles  from  the  city,  and  that  he  had 
been  to  visit  her  —  that  he  went  m  the  night,  ex- 


44  NARRATIVE   OF   THE 

pecting  to  return  before  daylight,  and  went  with- 
out his  master's  permission.  The  patrol  had  taken 
him  up  before  he  reached  his  wife.  He  was  put 
in  jail,  and  his  master  had  to  pay  for  his  catching 
and  keeping,  and  that  was  what  he  was  tied  up 
for. 

Just  as  he  finished  his  story,  Mr.  Broadwell 
came  in,  and  inquired  what  I  was  doing  there.  I 
knew  not  what  to  say,  and  while  I  was  thinking 
what  reply  to  make  he  struck  me  over  the  head 
with  the  cowhide,  the  end  of  which  struck  me  over 
my  right  eye,  sinking  deep  into  the  flesh,  leaving  a 
scar  which  I  carry  to  this  day.  Before  I  visited 
Lewis  he  had  received  fifty  lashes.  Mr.  Broad- 
well  gave  him  fifty  lashes  more  after  I  came  out, 
as  I  was  afterwards  informed  by  Lewis  himself. 

The  next  day  we  proceeded  to  New  Orleans,  and 
put  the  gang  in  the  same  negro-pen  which  we  oc- 
cupied before.  In  a  short  time  the  planters  came 
flocking  to  the  pen  to  purchase  slaves.  Before 
the  slaves  were  exhibited  for  sale,  they  were 
dressed  and  driven  out  into  the  yard.  Some  were 
set  to  dancing,  some  to  jumping,  some  to  singing, 
and  some  to  playing  cards.  This  was  done  to 
make  them  appear  cheerful  and  happy.     My  busi- 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  45 

ness  was  to  see  that  they  were  placed  in  those 
situations  before  the  arrival  of  the  purchasers,  and 
I  have  often  set  them  to  dancing  when  their  cheeks 
were  wet  with  tears.  As  slaves  were  in  good  de- 
mand at  that  time,  they  were  all  soon  disposed  of, 
and  we  again  set  out  for  St.  Louis. 

On  our  arrival,  Mr.  Walker  purchased  a  farm 
five  or  six  miles  from  the  city.  He  had  no  family, 
but  made  a  housekeeper  of  one  of  his  female 
slaves.  Poor  Cynthia !  I  knew  her  well.  She  was 
a  quadroon,  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women 
I  ever  saw.  She  was  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  and 
bore  an  irreproachable  character  for  virtue  and  pro- 
priety of  conduct.  Mr.  Walker  bought  her  for  the 
New  Orleans  market,  and  took  her  down  with  him 
on  one  of  the  trips  that  I  made  with  him.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  circumstances  of  that  voyage  !  On 
the  first  night  that  we  were  on  board  the  steam- 
boat, he  directed  me  to  put  her  into  a  state-room  he 
had  provided  for  her,  apart  from  the  other  slaves. 
I  had  seen  too  much  of  the  workings  of  slavery  not 
to  know  what  this  meant.  I  accordingly  watched 
him  into  the  state-room,  and  listened  to  hear  what 
passed  between  them.  I  heard  him  make  his  base 
offers,  and  her  reject  them.   He  told  her  that  if  she 


46  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

would  accept  his  vile  proposals,  he  would  take  her 
back  with  him  to  St.  Louis,  and  establish  her  as 
his  housekeeper  on  his  farm.  But  if  she  persisted 
in  rejecting  them,  he  would  sell  her  as  a  field  hand 
on  the  worst  plantation  on  the  river.  Neither 
threats  nor  bribes  prevailed,  however,  and  he 
retired,  disappointed  of  his  prey. 

The  next  morning  poor  Cynthia  told  me  what 
had  passed,  and  bewailed  her  sad  fate  with  floods 
of  tears.  I  comforted  and  encouraged  her  all  I 
could ;  but  I  foresaw  but  too  well  what  the  result 
must  be.  Without  entering  into  any  further  par- 
ticulars, suffice  it  to  say  that  Walker  performed  his 
part  of  the  contract  at  that  time.  He  took  her 
back  to  St.  Louis,  established  her  as  his  mistress 
and  housekeeper  at  his  farm,  and  before  I  left,  he 
had  two  children  by  her.  But,  mark  the  end ! 
Since  I  have  been  at  the  North,  I  have  been  credi- 
bly informed  that  Walker  has  been  married,  and, 
as  a  previous  measure,  sold  poor  Cynthia  and  her 
four  children  (she  having  had  two  more  since  I 
came  away)  into  hopeless  bondage  ! 

He  soon  commenced  purchasing  to  make  up  the 
third  gang.  We  took  steamboat,  and  went  to 
Jefferson  City,  a  town  on  the  Missouri  river.    Here 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  47 

we  landed,  and  took  stage  for  the  interior  of  the 
state.  He  bought  a  number  of  slaves  as  he  passed 
the  different  farms  and  villages.  After  getting 
twenty-two  or  twenty-three  men  and  women,  we 
arrived  at  St.  Charles,  a  village  on  the  banks  of 
the  Missouri.  Here  he  purchased  a  woman  who 
had  a  child  in  her  arms,  appearing  to  be  four  or 
five  weeks  old. 

We  had  been  travelling  by  land  for  some  days, 
and  were  in  hopes  to  have  found  a  boat  at  this 
place  for  St.  Louis,  but  were  disappointed.  As  no 
boat  was  expected  for  some  days,  we  started  for 
St.  Louis  by  land.  Mr.  Walker  had  purchased  two 
horses.  He  rode  one,  and  I  the  other.  The  slaves 
were  chained  together,  and  we  took  up  our  line 
of  march,  Mr.  Walker  taking  the  lead,  and  I  bring- 
ing up  the  rear.  Though  the  distance  was  not 
more  than  twenty  miles,  we  did  not  reach  it  the 
first  day.  The  road  was  worse  than  any  that  I 
have  ever  travelled. 

Soon  after  we  left  St.  Charles  the  young  child  grew 
very  cross,  and  kept  up  a  noise  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day.  Mr.  Walker  complained  of  its 
crying  several  times,  and  told  the  mother  to  stop 
the  child's  d d  noise,  or  he  would.   The  woman 


LIFE    Ol"    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  49 

tried  to  keep  the  child  from  crying,  bill  could  not. 
We  put  up  at  night  with  an  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Walker,  and  in  the  morning,  just  as  wj  were  about 
to  start,  the  child  again  commenced  crying. 
Walker  stepped  up  to  her,  and  told  ha'  to  give  the 
child  to  him.  The  mother  trembliigly  obeyed. 
He  took  the  child  by  one  arm,  as  you  would  a  cat 
by  the  leg,  walked  into  the  house,  and  said  to  the 
lady, 

"Madam,  I  will  make  you  a  present  of  this 
little  nigger;  it  keeps  such  a  noise  that  I  can't  bear 
it." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  the  lady. 

The  mother,  as  soon  as  she  saw  that  her  child 
was  to  be  left,  ran  up  to  Mr.  Walker,  ard  falling 
upon  her  knees,  begged  him  to  let  her  have  her 
child;  she  clung  around  his  legs,  and  cried,  "Oh, 
my  child!  my  child!  master,  do  let  me  have  ir.y 
child!  oh,  do,  do,  do!  I  will  stop  its  crying  if  you 
will  only  let  me  have  it  again."  When  I  saw  this 
woman  crying  for  her  child  so  piteously,  a  shud- 
der—  a  feeling  akin  to  horror — shot  through  my 
frame.  I  have  often  since  in  imagination  heard 
her  crying  for  her  child :  — 
5 


50  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

"  O,  master,  let  me  stay  to  catch 
My  baby's  sobbing  breath, 
His  little  glassy  eye  to  watch, 
And  smooth  his  limbs  in  death, 

And  cover  him  with  grass  and  leaf, 

Beneath  the  large  oak  tree  : 
It  is  not  sullenness,  but  grief  — 

O,  master,  pity  me ! 

The  morn  was  chill  —  I  spoke  no  word, 

But  feared  my  babe  might  die, 
And  heard  all  day,  or  thought  I  heard, 

My  little  baby  cry. 

At  noon,  oh,  how  I  ran  and  took 

My  baby  to  my  breast ! 
1  lingered  —  and  the  long  lash  broke 

My  sleeping  infant's  rest. 

1  worked  till  night  —  till  darkest  night, 

In  torture  and  disgrace  ; 
Went  home  and  watched  till  morning  light, 

To  see  my  baby's  face. 

Then  give  me  but  one  little  hour  — 

O  !  do  not  lash  me  so ! 
One  little  hour —  one  little  hour  — 

And  gratefully  I  '11  go." 

Mr.  Walker  commanded  her  to  return  into  the 
ranks  with  the  other  slaves.  Women  who  had 
children  were  not  chained,  but  those  that  had  none 
were.  As  soon  as  her  child  was  disposed  of  she 
was  chained  in  the  gang. 

The  following  song  I  have  often  heard  the  slaves 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  51 

sing,  when  about  to  be  carried  to  the  far  south.     It 
is  said  to  have  been  composed  by  a  slave. 

"  See  these  poor  souls  from  Africa 
Transported  to  America ; 
We  are  stolen,  and  sold  to  Georgia  — 
Will  you  go  along  with  me  ? 
We  are  stolen,  and  sold  to  Georgia  — 
Come  sound  the  jubilee  ! 

See  wives  and  husbands  sold  apart, 

Their  children's  screams  will  break  my  heart ;  — 

There  's  a  better  day  a  coming  — 

Will  you  go  along  with  me  ? 

There  's  a  better  day  a  coming, 

Go  sound  the  jubilee ! 

O,  gracious  Lord  !  when  shall  it  be, 
That  we  poor  souls  shall  all  be  free  ? 
Lord,  break  them  slavery  powers  — 
Will  you  go  along  with  me  ? 
Lord,  break  them  slavery  powers, 
Go  sound  the  jubilee  ! 

Dear  Lord,  dear  Lord,  when  slavery  '11  cease, 
Then  we  poor  souls  will  have  our  peace  ;  — 
There  's  a  better  day  a  coming  — 
Will  you  go  along  with  me  ? 
There  's  a  better  day  a  coining, 
Go  sound  the  jubilee !  " 

We  finally  arrived  at  Mr.  Walker's  farm.  He 
had  a  house  built  during  our  absence  to  put  slaves 
in.  It  was  a  kind  of  domestic  jail.  The  slaves 
were  put  in  the  jail  at  night,  and  worked  on  the 
farm  during  the  day.     They  were  kept  here  until 


52  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

the  gaug  was  completed,  when  we  again  started 
for  New  Orleans,  on  board  the  steamboat  North 
America,  Gapt.  Alexander  Scott.  We  had  a  large 
number  of  slaves  in  this  gang.  One,  by  the  name 
of  Joe,  Mr.  Walker  was  training  up  to  take  my 
place,  as  my  time  was  nearly  out,  and  glad  was  I. 
We  made  our  first  stop  at  Vicksburg,  where  we 
remained  one  week  and  sold  several  slaves. 

Mr.  Walker,  though  not  a  good  master,  had  not 
flogged  a  slave  since  I  had  been  with  him,  though 
he  had  threatened  me.  The  slaves  were  kept  in 
the  pen,  and  he  always  put  up  at  the  best  hotel,  and 
kept  his  wines  in  his  room,  for  the  accommodation 
of  those  who  called  to  negotiate  with  him  for  the 
purchase  of  slaves.  One  day,  while  we  were  at 
Vicksburg,  several  gentlemen  came  to  see  him  for 
that  purpose,  and  as  usual  the  wine  was  called  for. 
I  took  the  tray  and  started  around  with  it,  and  hav- 
ing accidentally  filled  some  of  the  glasses  too  full, 
the  gentlemen  spilled  the  wine  on  their  clothes  as 
they  went  to  drink.  Mr.  Walker  apologized  to 
them  for  my  carelessness,  but  looked  at  me  as 
though  he  would  see  me  again  on  this  subject. 

After  the  gentlemen  had  left  the  room,  he  asked 
me  what  I  meant  by  my  carelessness,  and  said  that 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  53 

he  would  attend  to  me.  The  next  morning  he 
gave  me  a  note  to  carry  to  the  jailer,  and  a  dollar 
in  money  to  give  to  him.  I  suspected  that  all  was 
not  right,  so  I  went  down  near  the  landing,  where 
I  met  with  a  sailor,  and,  walking  up  to  him,  asked 
him  if  he  would  be  so  kind  as  to  read  the  note  for 
me.  He  read  it  over,  and  then  looked  at  me.  I 
asked  him  to  tell  me  what  was  in  it.  Said  he, 
"  They  are  going  to  give  you  hell." 
"Why?"  said  I. 

He  said,  "  This  is  a  note  to  have  you  whipped, 
and  says  that  you  have  a  dollar  to  pay  for  it." 

He  handed  me  back  the  note,  and  off  I  started. 
I  knew  not  what  to  do,  but  was  determined  not  to 
be  whipped.  1  went  up  to  the  jail  —  took  a  look  at 
it,  and  walked  off  again.  As  Mr.  Walker  was 
acquainted  with  the  jailer,  I  feared  that  I  should 
be  found  out  if  I  did  not  go.  and  be  treated  in  con- 
sequence of  it  still  worse- 
While  I  was  meditating  on  the  subject,  I  saw  a 
colored  man  about  my  size  walk  up,  and  the 
thought'struck  me  in  a  moment  to  send  him  with 
my  note.  I  walked  up  to  him,  and  asked  him 
who  he  belonged  to.  He  said  he  was  a  free  man, 
and  had  been  in  the  city  but  a  short  time.  1  told 
5* 


54  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

him  I  had  a  note  to  go  into  the  jail,  and  get  a  trunk 
to  carry  to  one  of  the  steamboats;  but  was  so 
busily  engaged  that  I  could  not  do  it,  although  I 
had  a  dollar  to  pay  for  it.  He  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  give  him  the  job.  I  handed  him  the  note  and 
the  dollar,  and  off  he  started  for  the  jail. 

I  watched  to  see  that  he  went  in,  and  as  soon  as 
1  saw  the  door  close  behind  him,  I  walked  around 
the  corner,  and  took  my  station,  intending  to  see 
how  my  friend  looked  when  he  came  out.  I  had 
been  there  but  a  short  time,  when  a  colored  man 
came  'around  the  corner,  and  said  to  another 
colored  man  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  — 

"They  are  giving  a  nigger  scissors  in  the  jail." 

"What  for?"  said  the  other.  The  man  con- 
tinued, 

"  A  nigger  came  into  the  jail,  and  asked  for  the 
jailer.  The  jailer  came  out,,  and  he  handed  him  a 
note,  and  said  he  wanted  to  get  a  trunk.  The 
jailer  told  him  to  go  with  him,  and  he  would  give 
him  the  trunk.  So  he  took  him  into  the  room,  and 
told  the  nigger  to  give  up  the  dollar.  He^  said  a 
man  had  given  him  the  dollar  to  pay  for  getting 
the  trunk.     But  that  lie  would  not   answer.     So 


LIVE    OF    WILLIAM    W.  BROWN.  55 

they  made  him  strip  himself,  and  then  they  tied 
him  down,  and  are  now  whipping  him." 

I  stood  by  all  the  while  listening  to  their  talk, 
and  soon  found  out  that  the  person  alluded  to 
was  my  customer.  I  went  into  the  street  opposite 
the  jail,  and  concealed  myself  in  such  a  manner 
that  I  could  not  be  seen  by  any  one  coming  out.  I 
had  been  there  but  a  short  time,  when  the  young 
man  made  his  appearance,  and  looked  around  for 
me.  I,  unobserved,  came  forth  from  my  hiding- 
place,  behind  a  pile  of  brick,  and  he  pretty  soon 
saw  me,  and  came  up  to  me  complaining  bitterly, 
saying  that  I  had  played  a  trick  upon  him.  I  de- 
nied any  knowledge  of  what  the  note  contained, 
and  asked  him  what  they  had  done  to  him.  He  told 
me  in  substance  what  I  heard  the  man  tell  who 
had  come  out  of  the  jail. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "they  whipped  me  and  took 
my  dollar,  and  gave  me  this  note." 

He  showed  me  the  note  which  the  jailer  had 
given  him,  telling  him  to  give  it  to  his  master.  1 
told  him  I  would  give  him  fifty  cents  for  it—  that 
being  all  the  money  I  had.  He  gave  it  to  me  and 
took  his  money.  He  had  received  twenty  lashjea 
on  his  bare  back,  with  the  negro-whip. 


56  NARRATIVE   OF    THE 

I  took  the  note  and  started  for  the  hotel  where  I 
had  left  Mr.  Walker.  Upon  reaching  the  hotel,  I 
handed  it  to  a  stranger  whom  I  had  not  seen 
before,  and  requested  him  to  read  it  to  me.  As 
near  as  I  can  recollect,  it  was  as  follows : — 

"Dear  Sir:  —  By  your  direction,  I  have  given 
your  boy  twenty  lashes.  He  is  a  very  saucy  boy, 
and  tried  to  make  me  believe  that  he  did  not 
belong  to  you,  and  I  put  it  on  to  him  well  for  lying 
to  me. 

"I  remain 

"  Your  obedient  servant'' 

It  is  true  that  in  most  of  the  slave-holding  cities, 
when  a  gentleman  wishes  his  servants  whipped, 
he  can  send  him  to  the  jail  and  have  it  done.  Be- 
fore I  went  in  where  Mr.  Walker  was,  1  wet  my 
cheeks  a  little,  as  though  I  had  been  crying.  He 
looked  at  me,  and  inquired  what  was  the  matter. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  never  had  such  a  whipping 
ill  my  life,  and  handed  him  the  note.  He  looked 
at  it  and  laughed;  —  "And  so  you  told  him  that 
you  did  not  belong  to  me?"  "Yes,  sir,"  said  I. 
"  I   did   not  know  that   there  was  any  harm  in 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  57 

that."     He  told  me  I  must  behave  myself,  if  I  did 
not  want  to  be  whipped  again. 

This  incident  shows  how  it  is  that  slavery  makes 
its  victims  lying  and  mean ;  for  which  vices  it 
afterwards  reproaches  them,  and  uses  them  as 
arguments  to  prove  that  they  deserve  no  better 
fate.  Had  I  entertained  the  same  views  of  right 
and  wrong  which  I  now  do,  I  am  sure  I  should 
never  have  practised  the  deception  upon  that  poor 
fellow  which  I  did.  I  know  of  no  act  committed 
by  me  while  in  slavery  which  I  have  regretted 
more  than  that ;  and  I  heartily  desire  that  it  may 
be  at  some  time  or  other  in  my  power  to  make  him 
amends  for  his  vicarious  sufferings  in  my  behalf. 


58  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    VI. 

In  a  few  days  we  reached  New  Orleans,  and 
arriving  there  in  the  night,  remained  onboard  until 
morning.  While  at  New  Orleans  this  time,  I  saw 
a  slave  killed ;  an  account  of  which  has  been  pub- 
lished by  Theodore  D.  Weld,  in  his  book  entitled 
"  Slavery  as  it  is."  The  circumstances  were  as 
follows.  In  the  evening,  between  seven  and  eight 
o'clock,  a  slave  came  running  down  the  levee,  fol- 
lowed by  several  men  and  boys.  The  whites 
were  crying  out,  "  Stop  that  nigger  !  stop  that  nig- 
ger ! "  while  the  poor  panting  slave,  in  almost 
breathless  accents,  was  repeating,  "I  did  not  steal 
the  meat — I  did  not  steal  the  meat."  The  poor 
man  at  last  took  refuge  in  the  river.  The  whites 
who  were  in  pursuit  of  him,  run  on  board  of  one 
of  the  boats  to  see  if  they  could  discover  him. 
They  finally  espied  him  under  the  bow  of  the 
steamboat  Trenton.  They  got  a  pike-pole,  and 
tried  to  drive  him  from  his  hiding  place.  When 
they  would  strike  at  him  he  would  dive  under 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  59 

the  water.  The  water  was  so  cold,  that  it  soon 
became  evident  that  he  must  come  out  or  be 
drowned. 

While  they  were  trying  to  drive  him  from  under 
the  bow  of  the  boat  or  drown  him,  he  would  in 
broken  and  imploring  accents  say,  "  I  did  not  steal 
the  meat ;  I  did  not  steal  the  meat.  My  master 
lives  up  the  river.  I  want  to  see  my  master.  1 
did  not  steal  the  meat.  Do  let  me  go  home  to 
master."  After  punching  him,  and  striking  him 
over  the  head  for  some  time,  he  at  last  sunk  in  the 
water,  to  rise  no  more  alive. 
-  On  the  end  of  the  pike-pole  with  which  they 
were  striking  him  was  a  hook,  which  caught  in  his 
clothing,  and  they  hauled  him  up  on  the  bow  of 
the  boat.  Some  said  he  was  dead ;  others  said  he 
was  " playing  possum  ;"  while  others  kicked  him 
to  make  him  get  up ;  but  it  was  of  no  use — he  was 
dead. 

As  soon  as  they  became  satisfied  of  this,  they 
commenced  leaving,  one  after  another.  One  of  the 
hands  on  the  boat  informed  the  captain  that  they 
had  killed  the  man,  and  that  the  dead  body  was 
lying  on  the  deck.  The  captain  came  on  deck, 
and  said  to  those  who  were  remaining,  "You  have 


HO  NARRATIVE    OF    THK 

killed  this  nigger:  now  take  him  off  of  my  boat." 
The  captain's  name  was  Hart.  The  dead  body 
was  dragged  on  shore  and  left  there.  I  went  on 
board  of  the  boat  where  our  gang  of  slaves  were, 
and  during  the  whole  night  my  mind  was  occupied 
with  what  I  had  seen.  Early  in  the  morning  I 
went  on  shore  to  see  if  the  dead  body  remained 
there.  I  found  it  in  the  same  position  that  it  was 
left  the  night  before.  I  watched  to  see  what  they 
would  do  with  it.  It  was  left  there  until  between 
eight  and  nine  o'clock,  when  a  cart,  which  takes 
up  the  trash  out  of  the  streets,  came  along,  and  the 
body  was  thrown  in,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more 
was  covered  over  with  dirt  which  they  were  re- 
moving from  the  streets.  During  the  whole  time,  I 
did  not  see  more  than  six  or  seven  persons  around 
it,  who,  from  their  manner,  evidently  regarded  it 
as  no  uncommon  occurrence. 

During  our  stay  in  the  city  I  met  with  a  young 
white  man  with  whom  I  was  well  acquainted  in 
St  Louis.  He  had  been  sold  into  slavery,  under 
the  following  circumstances.  His  father  was  a 
drunkard,  and  very  poor,  with  a  family  of  five  or 
six  children.  The  father  died,  and  left  the  mother 
to  take  care  of  and  provide  for  the  children  as  best 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.   BROWN.  61 

she  might.  The  eldest  was  a  boy,  named  Burrill, 
about  thirteen  years  of  age,  who  did  chores  in  a 
store  kept  by  Mr.  Riley,  to  assist  his  mother  in 
procuring  a  living  for  the  family.  After  working 
with  him  two  years,  Mr.  Riley  took  him  to  New 
Orleans  to  wait  on  him  while  in  that  city  on  a 
visit,  and  when  he  returned  to  St.  Louis,  he  told 
the  mother  of  the  boy  that  he  had  died  with  the 
yellow  fever.  Nothing  more  was  heard  from  him, 
no  one  supposing  him  to  be  alive.  I  was  much 
astonished  when  Burrill  told  me  his  story.  Though 
I  sympathized  with  him  I  could  not  assist  him. 
We  were  both  slaves.  He  was  poor,  uneducated, 
and  without  friends ;  and,  if  living,  is,  I  presume, 
still  held  as  a  slave. 

After  selling  out  this  cargo  of  human  flesh,  we 
returned  to  St.  Louis,  and  my  time  was  up  with 
Mr.  Walker.     I  had  served  him  one  year,  and  it 
was  the  longest  year  I  ever  lived. 
6 


62  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    VII. 

I  was  sent  home,  and  was  glad  enough  to  leave 
the  service  of  one  who  was  tearing  the  husband  from 
the  wife,  the  child  from  the  mother,  and  the  sister 
from  the  brother — but  a  trial  more  severe  and 
heart-rending  than  any  which  I  had  yet  met  with 
awaited  me.  My  dear  sister  had  been  sold  to  a 
man  who  was  going  to  Natchez,  and  was  lying  in 
jail  awaiting  the  hour  of  his  departure.  She  had 
expressed  her  determination  to  die,  rather  than  go 
to  the  far  south,  and  she  was  put  in  jail  for  safe- 
keeping. I  went  to  the  jail  the  same  day  that  I 
arrived,  but  as  the  jailer  was  not  in  I  could  not  see 
her. 

I  went  home  to  my  master,  in  the  country,  and 
the  first  day  after  my  return  he  came  where  1  was 
at  work,  and  spoke  to  me  very  politely.  I  knew 
from  his  appearance  that  something  was  the  mat- 
ter. After  talking  to  me  about  my  several  jour- 
neys to  New  Orleans  with  Mr.  Walker,  he  told  me 
that  he  was  hard  pressed  for  money,  and  as  he 


£ 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  63 

had  sold  my  mother  and  all  her  children  except 
me,  he  thought  it  would  be  better  to  sell  me  than 
any  other  one,  and  that  as  I  had  been  used  to  liv- 
ing in  the  city,  he  thought  it  probable  that  I  would 
prefer  it  to  a  country  life.  I  raised  up  my  head,  and 
looked  him  full  in  the  face.  When  my  eyes  caught 
his  he  immediately  looked  to  the  ground.  After  a 
short  pause,  I  said, 

"  Master,  mother  has  often  told  me  that  you 
are  a  near  relative  of  mine,  and  I  have  often  heard 
you  admit  the  fact ;  and  after  you  have  hired  me 
out,  and  received,  as  I  once  heard  you  say,  nine 
hundred  dollars  for  my  services — after  receiving 
this  large  sum,  will  you  sell  me  to  be  carried  to 
New  Orleans  or  some  other  place?'' 

"No,"  said  he,  "I  do  not  intend  to  sell  you  to 
a  negro  trader.  If  I  had  wished  to  have  done  that, 
I  might  have  sold  you  to  Mr.  Walker  for  a  large 
sum,  but  I  would  not  sell  you  to  a  negro  trader. 
You  may  go  to  the  city,  and  find  you  a  good  mas- 
ter." 

"But,"  said  I,  "I  cannot  find  a  good  master  in 
the  whole  city  of  St.  Louis." 

"Why?"  said  he. 


64  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

"  Because  there  are  no  good  masters  in  the 
state." 

"  Do  you  not  call  me  a  good  master?" 

"If  you  were  you  would  not  sell  me." 

"Now  I  will  give  you  one  week  to  find  a  master 
in,  and  surely  you  can  do  it  in  that  time." 

The  price  set  by  my  evangelical  master  upon 
my  soul  and  body  was  the  trifling  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars.  I  tried  to  enter  into  some  ar- 
rangement by  which  I  might  purchase  my  free- 
dom; but  he  would  enter  into  no  such  arrange- 
ment. 

I  set  out  for  the  city  with  the  understanding  that 
I  was  to  return  in  a  week  with  some  one  to  become 
my  new  master.  Soon  after  reaching  the  city,  I 
went  to  the  jail,  to  learn  if  I  could  once  more  see 
my  sister ;  but  could  not  gain  admission.  I  then 
went  to  mother,  and  learned  from  her  that  the 
owner  of  my  sister  intended  to  start  for  Natchez 
in  a  few  days. 

I  went  to  the  jail  again  the  next  day,  and  Mr. 
Simonds,  the  keeper,  allowed  me  to  see  my  sister 
for  the  last  time.  I  cannot  give  a  just  description 
of  the  scene  at  that  parting  interview.  Never, 
never  can  be  erased  from  my  heart  the  occurrences 


LIFE    OF   WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  65 

of  that  day !  When  I  entered  the  room  where  she 
was,  she  was  seated  in  one  corner,  alone.  There 
were  four  other  women  in  the  same  room,  belonging 
to  the  same  man.  He  had  purchased  them,  he 
said,  for  his  own  use.  She  was  seated  with  her 
face  towards  the  door  where  I  entered,  yet  she  did 
not  look  up  until  I  walked  up  to  her.  As  soon  as 
she  observed  me  she  sprung  up,  threw  her  arms 
around  my  neck,  leaned  her  head  upon  my  breast, 
and,  without  uttering  a  word,  burst  into  tears.  As 
soon  as  she  recovered  herself  sufficiently  to  speak, 
she  advised  me  to  take  mother,  and  try  to  get  out 
of  slavery.  She  said  there  was  no  hope  for  her- 
self—  that  she  must  live  and  die  a  slave.  After 
giving  her  some  advice,  and  taking  from  my  finger 
a  ring  and  placing  it  upon  hers,  I  bade  her  fare- 
well forever,  and  returned  to  my  mother,  and  then 
and  there  made  up  my  mind  to  leave  for  Canada 
as  soon  as  possible. 

I  had  been  in  the  city  nearly  two  days,  and  as  I 
was  to  be  absent  only  a  week,  I  thought  best  to 
get  on  my  journey  as  soon  as  possible.  In  con- 
versing with  mother,  I  found  her  unwilling  to 
make  the  attempt  to  reach  a  land  of  liberty,  but 
she  counselled  me  to  get  my  liberty  if  I  could. 
6*  ' 


66  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

She  said,  as  all  her  children  were  in  slavery,  she 
did  not  wish  to  leave  them.  I  could  not  bear  the 
idea  of  leaving  her  among  those  pirates,  when 
there  was  a  prospect  of  being  able  to  get  away 
from  them.  After  much  persuasion  I  succeeded  in 
inducing  her  to  make  the  attempt  to  get  away. 

The  time  fixed  for  our  departure  was  the  next 
night.  I  had  with  me  a  little  money  that  I  had 
received,  from  time  to  time,  from  gentlemen  for 
whom  I  had  done  errands.  I  took  my  scanty 
means  and  purchased  some  dried  beef,  crackers 
and  cheese,  which  I  carried  to  mother,  who  had 
provided  herself  with  a  bag  to  carry  it  in.  I  occa- 
sionally thought  of  my  old  master,  and  of  my  mis- 
sion to  the  city  to  find  a  new  one.  I  waited  with 
the  most  intense  anxiety  for  the  appointed  time 
to  leave  the  land  of  slavery,  in  search  of  a  land 
of  liberty. 

The  time  at  length  arrived,  and  we  left  the  city 
just  as  the  clock  struck  nine.  We  proceeded  to  the 
upper  part  of  the  city,  where  I  had  been  two  or 
three  times  during  the  day,  and  selected  a  skiff  to 
carry  us  across  the  river.  The  boat  was  not  mine, 
nor  did  I  know  to  whom  it  did  belong;  neither 
did  I  care.     The  boat  was  fastened  with  a  small 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  6? 

pole,  which,  with  the  aid  of  a  rail,  I  soon  loosened 
from  its  moorings.  After  hunting  round  and  find- 
ing a  board  to  use  as  an  oar,  I  turned  to  the  city, 
and  bidding  it  a  long  farewell,  pushed  off  my  boat. 
The  current  running  very  swift,  we  had  not 
reached  the  middle  of  the  stream  before  we  were 
directly  opposite  the  city. 

We  were  soon  upon  the  Illinois  shore,  and,  leap- 
ing from  the  boat,  turned  it  adrift,  and  the  last  I 
saw  of  it  it  was  going  down  the  river  at  good 
speed.  We  took  the  main  road  to  Alton,  and 
passed  through  just  at  daylight,  when  we  made 
for  the  woods,  where  we  remained  curing  the  day. 
Our  reason  for  going  into  the  ~oods  was>  that  we 
expected  that  Mr.  Mansf^'d  (the  man  who  owned 
my  mother)  would  ^art  in  pursuit  of  her  as  soon 
as  he  discover^  that  she  was  missing.  He  also 
knew  tha* r  had  been  in  the  city  looking  for  a  new 
mast^i,  and  we  thought  probably  he  would  go  out 
t^  my  master's  to  see  if  he  could  find  my  mother, 
and  in  so  doing,  Dr.  Young  might  be  led  to  sus- 
pect that  I  had  gone  to  Canada  to  find  a  pur- 
chaser. 

We  remained  in  the  woods  during  the  day,  and 
as  soon  as  darkness  overshadowed  the  earth,  we 


68  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

started  again  on  our  gloomy  way,  having  no  guide 
but  the  north  star.  We  continued  to  travel  by 
night,  and  secrete  ourselves  in  the  woods  by  day ; 
and  every  night,  before  emerging  from  our  hiding- 
place,  we  would  anxiously  look  for  our  friend  and 
leader — the  north  star.  And  in  the  language  of 
Pierpont  we  might  have  exclaimed, 

"  Star  of  the  North !  while  blazing  day 
Pours  round  me  its  full  tide  of  light, 
And  hides  thy  pale  but  faithful  ray, 
I,  too,  lie  hid,  and  long  for  night. 
For  night ;  —  I  dare  not  walk  at  noon, 
Nor  dare  I  trust  the  faithless  moon, 
Nor  faithless  man,  whose  burning  lust 
Fox  wld  hath  riveted  my  chain  ; 
No  othe.  ieader  can  j  trust 
But  thee,  ot  v,,en  the  starry  train  . 
For,  all  the  host  ^und  thee  buraing> 
Like  faithless  man,  kt,^  turningj  turning. 

In  the  dark  top  of  southern  pi»„s 
I  nestled,  when  the  driver's  horn 
Called  to  the  field,  in  leugthening  line&, 
My  fellows,  at  the  break  of  morn. 
And  there  I  lay,  till  thy  sweet  face 
Looked  in  upon  my  '  hiding  place, ' 
Star  of  the  North ! 

Thy  light,  that  no  poor  slave  deceiveth, 
Shall  set  me  free." 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  69 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

As  we  travelled  towards  a  land  of  liberty,  my 
heart  would  at  times  leap  for  joy.  At  other  times, 
being,  as  I  was,  almost  constantly  on  my  feet,  I 
felt  as  though  I  could  travel  no  further.  But 
when  I  thought  of  slavery,  with  its  democratic 
whips  —  its  republican  chains  —  its  evangelical 
blood-hounds,  and  its  religious  slave-holders  — 
when  I  thought  of  all  this  paraphernalia  of  Amer- 
ican democracy  and  religion  behind  me,  and  the 
prospect  of  liberty  before  me,  I  was  encouraged  to 
press  forward,  my  heart  was  strengthened,  and  I 
forgot  that  I  was  tired  or  hungry. 

On  the  eighth  day  of  our  journey,  we  had  a  very 
heavy  rain,  and  in  a  few  hours  after  it  commenced 
we  had  not  a  dry  thread  upon  our  bodies.  This 
made  our  journey  still  more  unpleasant.  On  the 
tenth  day,  we  found  ourselves  entirely  destitute  of 
provisions,  and  how  to  obtain  any  we  could  not 
tell.  We  finally  resolved  to  stop  at  some  farm- 
house, and  try  to  get  something  to  eat.     We  had 


70  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

no  sooner  determined  to  do  this,  than  we  went  to  a 
house,  and  asked  them  for  some  food.  We  were 
treated  with  great  kindness,  and  they  not  only 
gave  us  something  to  eat,  but  gave  us  provisions  to 
carry  with  us.  They  advised  us  to  travel  by  day 
and  lie  by  at  night.  Finding  ourselves  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  St.  Louis,  we  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  safe  to  travel  by  daylight, 
and  did  not  leave  the  house  until  the  next  morning. 
We  travelled  on  that  day  through  a  thickly  settled 
country,  and  through  one  small  village.  Though 
we  were  fleeing  from  a  land  of  oppression,  our 
hearts  were  still  there.  My  dear  sister  and  two 
beloved  brothers  were  behind  us,  and  the  idea  of 
giving  them  up,  and  leaving  them  forever,  made  us 
feel  sad.  But  with  all  this  depression  of  heart,  the 
thought  that  I  should  one  day  be  free,  and  call  my 
body  my  own,  buoyed  me  up,  and  made  my  heart 
leap  for  joy.  I  had  just  been  telling  my  mother 
how  I  should  try  to  get  employment  as  soon  as  we 
reached  Canada,  and  how  I  intended  to  purchase 
us  a  little  farm,  and  how  I  would  earn  money 
enough  to  buy  sister  and  brothers,  and  how  happy 
we  would  be  in  our  own  free  home — when  three 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  71. 

men  came  up  on  horseback,  and  ordered  us  to 
stop. 

I  turned  to  the  one  who  appeared  to  be  the 
principal  man,  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 
He  said  he  had  a  warrant  to  take  us  up.  The 
three  immediately  dismounted,  and  one  took  from 
his  pocket  a  handbill,  advertising  us  as  runaways, 
and  offering  a  reward  of  two  hundred  dollars  for 
our  apprehension  and  delivery  in  the  city  of  St. 
Louis.  The  advertisement  had  been  put  out  by 
Isaac  Mansfield  and  John  Young. 

While  they  were  reading  the  advertisement, 
mother  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  burst  into  tears. 
A  cold  chill  ran  over  me,  and  such  a  sensation  I 
never  experienced  before,  and  I  hope  never  to 
again.  They  took  out  a  rope  and  tied  me,  and 
we  were  taken  back  about  six  miles,  to  the  house 
of  the  individual  who  appeared  to  be  the  leader. 
We  reached  there  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, had  supper,  and  were  separated  far  the  night. 
Two  men  remained  in  the  room  daring  the  night. 
Before  the  family  retired  to  rest,  they  were  all 
called  together  to  attend  prayers.  The  man  who 
but  a  few  hours  before  had  bound  my  hands  to- 
gether with  a  string  cord,  read  a  chapter  from  the 


LIFE   OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  73 

Bible,  and  then  offered  up  prayer,  just  as  though 
God  had  sanctioned  the  act  he  had  just  committed 
upon  a  poor,  panting,  fugitive  slave. 

The  next  morning  a  blacksmith  came  in,  and 
put  a  pair  of  handcuffs  on  me,  and  we  started  on 
our  journey  back  to  the  land  of  whips,  chains  and 
Bibles.  Mother  was  not  tied,  but  was  closely 
watched  at  night.  We  were  carried  back  in  a 
wagon,  and  after  four  days'  travel,  we  came  in 
sight  of  St.  Louis.  I  cannot  describe  my  feelings 
upon  approaching  the  city. 

As  we  were  crossing  the  ferry,  Mr.  Wiggins,  the 
owner  of  the  ferry,  came  up  to  me,  and  inquired 
what  I  had  been  doing  that  I  was  in  chains.  He 
had  not  heard  that  I  had  run  away.  In  a  few 
minutes  we  were  on  the  Missouri  side,  and  were 
taken  directly  to  the  jail.  On  the  way  thither,  I 
saw  several  of  my  friends,  who  gave  me  a  nod  of 
recognition  as  I  passed  them.  After  reaching  the 
jail,  we  were  locked  up  in  different  apartments, 
7 


74  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    IX. 

I  had  been  in  jail  but  a  short  time  when  I  heard 
that  my  master  was  sick,  and  nothing  brought 
more  joy  to  my  heart  than  that  intelligence.  I 
prayed  fervently  for  him — not  for  his  recovery,  but 
for  his  death.  I  knew  he  would  be  exasperated  at 
having  to  pay  for  my  apprehension,  and  knowing 
his  cruelty,  I  feared  him.  While  in  jail,  I  learned 
that  my  sister  Elizabeth,  who  was  in  prison  when 
we  left  the  city,  had  been  carried  off  four  days 
before  our  arrival. 

I  had  been  in  jail  but  a  few  hours  when  three 
negro-traders,  learning  that  I  was  secured  thus  for 
running  away,  came  to  my  prison-house  and 
looked  at  me,  expecting  that  I  would  be  offered  for 
sale,  Mr.  Mansfield,  the  man  who  owned  mother, 
came  into  the  jail  as  soon  as  Mr.  Jones,  the  man 
who  arrested  us,  informed  him  that  he  had  brought 
her  back.  He  told  her  that  he  would  not  whip 
her,  but  would  sell  her  to  a  negro-trader,  or  take 
her  to  New  Orleans  himself.     After  being  in  jail 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  75 

about  one  week,  master  sent  a  man  to  take  me 
out  of  jail,  and  send  me  home.  I  was  taken  out 
and  carried  home,  and  the  old  man  was  well 
enough  to  sit  up.  He  had  me  brought  into  the 
room  where  he  was,  and  as  I  entered,  he  asked  me 
where  I  had  been  ?  I  told  him  I  had  acted  accord- 
ing to  his  orders.  He  had  told  me  to  look  for  a 
master,  and  I  had  been  to  look  for  one.  He  an- 
swered that  he  did  not  tell  me  to  go  to  Canada  to 
look  for  a  master.  I  told  him  that  as  I  had  served 
him  faithfully,  and  had  been  the  means  of  putting 
a  number  of  hundreds  of  dollars  into  his  pocket,  I 
thought  I  had  a  right  to  my  liberty.  He  said  he 
had  promised  my  father  that  I  should  not  be  sold 
to  supply  the  New  Orleans  market,  or  he  ivould 
sell  me  to  a  negro-trader. 

I  was  ordered  to  go  into  the  field  to  work,  and 
was  closely  watched  by  the  overseer  during  the 
day,  and  locked  up  at  night.  The  overseer  gave 
me  a  severe  whipping  on  the  second  day  that 
I  was  in  the  field.  I  had  been  at  home  but  a  short 
time,  when  master  was  able  to  ride  to  the  city ; 
and  on  his  return  he  informed  me  that  he  had  sold 
me  to  Samuel  Willi,  a  merchant  tailor.  I  knew 
Mr.  Willi.     I  had  lived  with  him   three  or   four 


76  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

months  some  years  before,  when  he  hired  me  of 
my  master. 

Mr.  Willi  was  not  considered  by  his  servants  as 
a  very  bad  man,  nor  was  he  the  best  of  masters.  I 
went  to  my  new  home,  and  found  my  new  mis- 
tress very  glad  to  see  me.  Mr.  Willi  owned  two 
servants  before  he  purchased  me — Robert  and 
Charlotte.  Robert  was  an  excellent  white- washer, 
and  hired  his  time  from  his  master,  paying  him 
one  dollar  per  day,  besides  taking  care  of  himself. 
He  was  known  in  the  city  by  the  name  of 
Bob  Music.  Charlotte  was  an  old  woman,  who 
attended  to  the  cooking,  washing,  &c.  Mr.  Willi 
was  not  a  wealthy  man,  and  did  not  feel  able  to 
keep  many  servants  around  his  house ;  so  he  soon 
decided  to  hire  me  out,  and  as  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  service  in  steamboats,  he  gave  me  the 
privilege  of  finding  such  employment. 

I  soon  secured  a  situation  on  board  the  steamer 
Otto,  Capt.  J.  B.  Hill,  which  sailed  from  St.  Louis 
to  Independence,  Missouri.  My  former  master,  Dr. 
Young,  did  not  let  Mr.  Willi  know  that  I  had  run 
away,  or  he  would  not  have  permitted  me  to  go  on 
board  a  steamboat.  The  boat  was  not  quite  ready 
to  commence  running,  and  therefore  1  had  to  re- 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  77 

main  with  Mr.  Willi.  But  during  this  time,  I  had 
to  undergo  a  trial  for  which  I  was  entirely  unpre- 
pared. My  mother,  who  had  been  in  jail  since  her 
return  until  the  present  time,  was  now  about  being 
carried  to  New  Orleans,  to  die  on  a  cotton,  sugar,  or 
rice  plantation ! 

I  had  been  several  times  to  the  jail,  but  could 
obtain  no  interview  with  her.  I  ascertained, 
however,  the  time  the  boat  in  which  she  was  to 
embark  wrould  sail,  and  as  I  had  not  seen  mother 
since  her  being  thrown  into  prison,  I  felt  anxious 
for  the  hour  of  sailing  to  come.  At  last,  the  day 
arrived  when  I  was  to  see  her  for  the  first  time 
after  our  painful  separation,  and,  for  aught  that 
I  knew,  for  the  last  time  in  this  world ! 

At  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  went  on 
board  of  the  boat,  and  found  her  there  in  company 
with  fifty  or  sixty  other  slaves.  She  was  chained 
to  another  woman.  On  seeing  me,  she  immediately 
dropped  her  head  upon  her  heaving  bosom.  She 
moved  not,  neither  did  she  weep.  Her  emotions 
were  too  deep  for  tears.  I  approached,  threw  my 
arms  around  her  neck,  kissed  her,  and  fell  upon 
my  knees,  begging  her  forgiveness,  for  I  thought 
myself  to  blame  for  her  sad  condition  :  for  if  I  had 
7* 


78  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

not  persuaded  her  to  accompany  me,  she  would 
not  then  have  been  in  chains. 

She  finally  raised  her  head,  looked  me  in  the 
face,  (and  such  a  look  none  but  an  angel  can  give !) 
and  said,  "My  dear  son,  you  are  not  to  blame  for 
my  being  here.  You  have  done  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  your  duty.  Do  not,  I  pray  you,  weep  for 
me.  I  cannot  last  long  upon  a  cotton  plantation. 
I  feel  that  my  heavenly  Master  will  soon  call  me 
home,  and  then  I  shall  be  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
slave-holders  /" 

I  could  bear  no  more — my  heart  struggled  to 
free  itself  from  the  human  form.  In  a  moment 
she  saw  Mr.  Mansfield  coming  toward  that  part  of 
the  boat,  and  she  whispered  into  my  ear,  "My 
child,  we  must  soon  part  to  meet  no  more  this  side 
of  the  grave.  You  have  ever  said  that  you  would 
not  die  a  slave ;  that  you  would  be  a  freeman.  Now 
try  to  get  your  liberty!  You  will  soon  have  no 
one  to  look  after  but  yourself 7"  and  just  as  she 
whispered  the  last  sentence  into  my  ear,  Mansfield 
came  up  to  me,  and  with  an  oath,  said,  "  Leave 
here  this  instant ;  you  have  been  the  means  of  my 
losing  one  hundred  dollars  to  get  this  wench 
back" — at  the  same  time  kicking  me  with  a  heavy 


LIFE   OF   WILLIAM   W.    BROWN.  79 

pair  of  boots.  As  I  left  her,  she  gave  one  shriek, 
saying,  "God  be  with  you  !"  It  was  the  last  time 
that  I  saw  her,  and  the  last  word  I  heard  her 
utter. 

I  walked  on  shore.  The  bell  was  tolling.  The 
boat  was  about  to  start.  I  stood  with  a  heavy 
heart,  waiting  to  see  her  leave  the  wharf.  As  I 
thought  of  my  mother,  I  could  but  feel  that  I  had 
lost 


-the  glory  of  my  life, 


My  blessing  and  my  pride  ! 
I  half  forgot  the  name  of  slave, 
When  she  was  by  my  side." 

The  love  of  liberty  that  had  been  burning  in  my 
bosom  had  well-nigh  gone  out.  I  felt  as  though  I 
was  ready  to  die.  The  boat  moved  gently  from 
the  wharf,  and  while  she  glided  down  the  river,  I 
realized  that  my  mother  was  indeed 

"  Gone  —  gone  —  sold  and  gone, 
To  the  rice  swamp,  dank  and  lone !" 

After  the  boat  was  out  of  sight  I  returned  home; 
but  my  thoughts  were  so  absorbed  in  what  I  had 
witnessed,  that  I  knew  not  what  I  was  about  half 
of  the  time.  Night  came,  but  it  brought  no  sleep 
to  my  eyes. 


80  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

In  a  few  days,  the  boat  upon  which  I  was  to 
work  being  ready,  I  went  on  board  to  commence. 
This  employment  suited  me  better  than  living  in 
the  city,  and  I '  remained  until  the  close  of  navi- 
gation; though  it  proved  anything  but  pleasant. 
The  captain  was  a  drunken,  profligate,  hard- 
hearted creature,  not  knowing  how  to  treat  himself, 
or  any  other  person. 

The  boat,  on  its  second  trip,  brought  down  Mr. 
Walker,  the  man  of  whom  I  have  spoken  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  as  hiring  my  time.  He  had  between 
one  and  two  hundred  slaves,  chained  and  mana- 
cled. Among  them  was  a  man  that  formerly  be- 
longed to  my  old  master's  brother,  Aaron  Young. 
His  name  was  Solomon.  He  was  a  preacher,  and 
belonged  to  the  same  church  with  his  master.  I 
was  glad  to  see  the  old  man.  He  wept  like  a 
child  when  he  told  me  how  he  had  been  sold  from 
his  wife  and  children. 

The  boat  carried  down,  while  I  remained  on 
board,  four  or  five  gangs  of  slaves.  Missouri, 
though  a  comparatively  new  state,  is  very  much 
engaged  in  raising  slaves  to  supply  the  southern 
market.  In  a  former  chapter,  I  have  mentioned 
that  I  was  once  in  the  employ  of  a  slave-trader,  or 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  81 

driver,  as  he  is  called  at  the  south.  For  fear  that 
some  may  think  that  I  have  misrepresented  a 
slave-driver,  I  will  here  give  an  extract  from  a 
paper  published  in  a  slave-holding  state,  Tennessee, 
called  the  "  Millennial  Trumpeter." 

"  Droves  of  negroes,  chained  together  in  dozens 
and  scores,  and  hand-cuffed,  have  been  driven 
through  our  country  in  numbers  far  surpassing 
any  previous  year,  and  these  vile  slave-drivers  and 
dealers  are  swarming  like  buzzards  around  a  car- 
rion. Through  this  county,  you  cannot  pass  a  few 
miles  in  the  great  roads  without  having  every  feel- 
ing of  humanity  insulted  and  lacerated  by  this 
spectacle,  nor  can  you  go  into  any  county  or  any 
neighborhood,  scarcely,  without  seeing  or  hearing 
of  some  of  these  despicable  creatures,  called  negro- 
drivers. 

"Who  is  a  negro-driver?  One  whose  eyes 
dwell  with  delight  on  lacerated  bodies  of  helpless 
men,  women  and  children ;  whose  soul  feels  dia- 
bolical raptures  at  the  chains,  and  hand-cuffs,  and . 
cart- whips,  for  inflicting  tortures  on  weeping 
mothers  torn  from  helpless  babes,  and  on  husbands 
and  wives  torn  asunder  forever  !" 

Dark  and  revolting  as  is  the  picture  here  drawn, 


82  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

it  is  from  the  pen  of  one  living  in  the  midst  of 
slavery.  But  though  these  men  may  cant  about 
negro-drivers,  and  tell  what  despicable  creatures 
they  are,  who  is  it,  I  ask,  that  supplies  them  with 
the  human  beings  that  they  are  tearing  asunder  ? 
I  answer,  as  far  as  I  have  any  knowledge  of  the 
state  where  I  came  from,  that  those  who  raise 
slaves  for  the  market  are  to  be  found  among  all 
classes,  from  Thomas  H.  Benton  down  to  the  low- 
est political  demagogue  who  may  be  able  to  pur- 
chase a  woman  for  the  purpose  of  raising  stock, 
and  from  the  doctor  of  divinity  down  to  the  most 
humble  lay  member  in  the  church. 

It  was  not  uncommon  in  St.  Louis  to  pass  by 
an  auction-stand,  and  behold  a  woman  upon  the 
auction-block,  and  hear  the  seller  crying  out, 
uHoio  much  is  offered  for  this  woman  ?  She  is  a 
good  cook,  good  washer,  a  good  obedient  servant. 
She  has  got  religion!"  Why  should  this  man 
tell  the  purchasers  that  she  has  religion?  I  an- 
swer, because  in  Missouri,  and  as  far  as  I  have 
any  knowledge  of  slavery  in  the  other  states,  the 
religious  teaching  consists  in  teaching  the  slave 
that  he  must  never  strike  a  white  man;  that  God 
made  him  for  a  slave :  and  that,  when  whipped, 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  83 

he  must  not  find  fault — for  the  Bible  says,  "  He 
that  knoweth  his  master's  will  and  doeth  it  not, 
shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes  ! "  And  slave- 
holders find  such  religion  very  profitable  to  them. 
After  leaving  the  steamer  Otto,  I  resided  at 
home,  in  Mr.  Willi's  family,  and  again  began  to 
lay  my  plans  for  making  my  escape  from  slavery. 
The  anxiety  to  be  a  freeman  would  not  let  me  rest 
day  or  night.  I  would  think  of  the  northern  cities 
that  I  had  heard  so  much  about; — of  Canada, 
where  so  many  of  my  acquaintances  had  found  a 
refuge.  I  would  dream  at  night  that  I  was  in 
Canada,  a  freeman,  and  on  waking  in  the  morning, 
weep  to  find  myself  so  sadly  mistaken. 

11 1  would  think  of  Victoria's  domain, 

And  in  a  moment  I  seemed  to  be  there ! 
But  the  fear  of  being  taken  again, 
Soon  hurried  me  back  to  despair." 

Mr.  Willi  treated  me  better  than  Dr.  Young  ever 
had ;  but  instead  of  making  me  contented  and 
happy,  it  only  rendered  me  the  more  miserable,  for 
it  enabled  me  better  to  appreciate  liberty.  Mr. 
Willi  was  a  man  who  loved  money  as  most  men 
do,  and  without  looking  for  an  opportunity  to  sell 
me,  he  found  one  in  the  offer  of  Captain  Enoch 


84  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

Price,  a  steamboat  owner  and  commission  mer- 
chant, living  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  Captain 
Price  tendered  seven  hundred  dollars,  which  was 
two  hundred  more  than  Mr.  Willi  had  paid.  He 
therefore  thought  best  to  accept  the  offer.  I  was 
wanted  for  a  carriage  driver,  and  Mrs.  Price  was 
very  much  pleased  with  the  captain's  bargain. 
His  family  consisted  besides  of  one  child.  He  had 
three  servants  besides  myself — one  man  and  two 
women. 

Mrs.  Price  was  very  proud  of  her  servants, 
always  keeping  them  well  dressed,  and  as  soon  as 
I  had  been  purchased,  she  resolved  to  have  a  new 
carriage.  And  soon  one  was  procured,  and  all 
preparations  were  made  for  a  turn-out  in  grand 
style,  I  being  the  driver. 

One  of  the  female  servants  was  a  girl  some 
eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  age,  named  Maria. 
Mrs.  Price  was  very  soon  determined  to  have  us 
united,  if  she  could  so  arrange  matters.  She 
would  often  urge  upon  me  the  necessity  of  having 
a  wife,  saying  that  it  would  be  so  pleasant  for  me 
to  take  one  in  the  same  family !  But  getting  mar- 
ried, while  in  slavery,  was  the  last  of  my  thoughts ; 
and  had  I  been  ever  so  inclined,  I  should  not  have 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  85 

married  Maria,  as  my  love  had  already  gone  in 
another  quarter.  Mrs.  Price  soon  found  out  that 
her  efforts  at  this  match-making  between  Maria 
and  myself  would  not  prove  successful.  She  also 
discovered  (or  thought  she  had)  that  I  was  rather 
partial  to  a  girl  named  Eliza,  who  was  owned  by 
Dr.  Mills.  This  induced  her  at  once  to  endeavor 
the  purchase  of  Eliza,  so  great  was  her  desire  to 
get  me  a  wife ! 

Before  making  the  attempt,  however,  she  deemed 
it  best  to  talk  to  me  a  little  upon  the  subject  o( 
love,  courtship,  and  marriage.  Accordingly,  one 
afternoon  she  called  me  into  her  room — telling  me 
to  take  a  chair  and  sit  down.  I  did  so,  thinking  it 
rather  strange,  for  servants  are  not  very  often  asked 
thus  to  sit  down  in  the  same  room  with  the  master 
or  mistress.  She  said  that  she  had  found  out  that 
I  did  not  care  enough  about  Maria  to  marry  her.  I 
told  her  that  was  true.  She  then  asked  me  if 
there  was  not  a  girl  in  the  city  that  I  loved.  Well, 
now,  this  was  coming  into  too  close  quarters  with 
me  !  People,  generally,  don't  like  to  tell  their  love 
stories  to  everybody  that  may  think  fit  to  ask 
about  them,  and  it  was  so  with  me.  But,  after 
blushing  a  while  and  recovering  myself,  I  told  her 
8 


86  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

that  I  did  not  want  a  wife.  She  then  asked  me  if 
I  did  not  think  something  of  Eliza.  I  told  her  that 
I  did.  She  then  said  that  if  I  wished  to  marry 
Eliza,  she  would  purchase  her  if  she  could. 

I  gave  but  little  encouragement  to  this  proposi- 
tion, as  I  was  determined  to  make  another  trial  to 
get  my  liberty,  and  I  knew  that  if  I  should  have  a 
wife,  I  should  not  be  willing  to  leave  her  behind ; 
and  if  I  should  attempt  to  bring  her  with  me,  the 
chances  would  be  difficult  for  success.  However, 
Eliza  was  purchased,  and  brought  into  the  family. 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN*  87 


CHAPTER    X. 

But  the  more  I  thought  of  the  trap  laid  by  Mrs. 
Price  to  make  me  satisfied  with  my  new  home,  by 
getting  me  a  wife,  the  more  I  determined  never  to 
marry  any  woman  on  earth  until  I  should  get  my 
liberty.  But  this  secret  I  was  compelled  to  keep 
to  myself,  which  placed  me  in  a  very  critical  posi- 
tion. I  must  keep  upon  good  terms  with  Mrs. 
Price  and  Eliza.  I  therefore  promised  Mrs.  Price 
that  I  would  marry  Eliza ;  but  said  that  I  was  not 
then  ready.  And  I  had  to  keep  upon  good  terms 
with  Eliza,  for  fear  that  Mrs.  Price  would  find  out 
that  I  did  not  intend  to  get  married. 

I  have  here  spoken  of  marriage,  and  it  is  very 
common  among  slaves  themselves  to  talk  of  it. 
And  it  is  common  for  slaves  to  be  married ;  or  at 
least  to  have  the  marriage  ceremony  performed. 
But  there  is  no  such  thing  as  slaves  being  lawfully 
married.  There  has  never  yet  a  case  occurred 
where  a  slave  has  been  tried  for  bigamy.  The 
man   may  have  as  many  women  as  he  wishes. 


88  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

and  the  women  as  many  men;  and  the  law 
takes  no  cognizance  of  such  acts  among  slaves. 
And  in  fact  some  masters,  when  they  have  sold 
the  husband  from  the  wife,  compel  her  to  take 
another. 

There  lived  opposite  Captain  Price's,  Doctor 
Farrar,  well  known  in  St.  Louis.  He  sold  a  man 
named  Ben,  to  one  of  the  traders.  He  also  owned 
Ben's  wife,  and  in  a  few  days  he  compelled  Sally 
(that  was  her  name)  to  marry  Peter,  another  man 
belonging  to  him.  I  asked  Sally  "  why  she  mar- 
ried Peter  so  soon  after  Ben  was  sold."  She  said, 
"  because  master  made  her  do  it." 

Mr.  John  Calvert,  who  resided  near  our  place, 
had  a  woman  named  Lavinia.  She  was  quite 
young,  and  a  man  to  whom  she  was  about  to  be 
married  was  sold,  and  carried  into  the  country 
near  St.  Charles,  about  twenty  miles  from  St. 
Louis.  Mr.  Calvert  wanted  her  to  get  a  husband ; 
but  she  had  resolved  not  to  marry  any  other  man, 
and  she  refused.  Mr.  Calvert  whipped  her  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  was  thought  she  would  die. 
Some  of  the  citizens  had  him  arrested,  but  it  was 
soon  hushed  up.     And  that  was  the  last  of  it.    The 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  89 

woman  did  not  die,  but  it  would  have  been  the 
same  if  she  had. 

Captain  Price  purchased  me  in  the  month  of 
October,  and  I  remained  with  him  until  December, 
when  the  family  made  a  voyage  to  New  Orleans, 
in  a  boat  owned  by  himself,  and  named  the 
"Chester."  I  served  on  board  as  one  of  the 
stewards.  On  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  about  the 
middle  of  the  month,  the  boat  took  in  freight  for 
Cincinnati;  and  it  was  decided  that  the  family 
should  go  up  the  river  in  her,  and  what  was  of 
more  interest  to  me,  I  was  to  accompany  them. 

The  long  looked  for  opportunity  to  make  my 
escape  from  slavery  was  near  at  hand. 

Captain  Price  had  some  fears  as  to  the  propriety 

of  taking  me  near  a  free  state,  or  a  place  where  it 

was  likely  I  could  run  away,  with  a  prospect  of 

liberty.     He  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  been  in  a  free 

state.     "Oh  yes,''  said  I,  "I  have  been  in  Ohio: 

my  master  carried  me  into  that  state  once,  but  1 

never  liked  a  free  state/" 

'  It  was  soon  decided  that  it  would  be  safe  to  take 

me  with  them,  and  what  made  it  more  safe,  Eliza 

was  on  the  boat  with  us,  and  Mrs.  Price,  to  try 

me,  asked  if  I  thought  as  much  as  ever  of  Eliza. 
8* 


90  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

I  told  her  that  Eliza  was  very  dear  to  me  indeed, 
and  that  nothing  but  death  should  part  us.  It  was 
the  same  as  if  we  were  married.  This  had  the 
desired  effect.  The  boat  left  New  Orleans,  and 
proceeded  up  the  river. 

I  had  at  different  times  obtained  little  sums  of 
money,  which  I  had  reserved  for  a  "rainy  day." 
I  procured  some  cotton  cloth,  and  made  me  a  bag 
to  carry  provisions  in.  The  trials  of  the  past  were 
all  lost  in  hopes  for  the  future.  The  love  of  liberty, 
that  had  been  burning  in  my  bosom  for  years,  and 
had  been  well-nigh  extinguished,  was  now  resus- 
citated. At  night,  when  all  around  was  peaceful, 
I  would  walk  the  decks,  meditating  upon  my  happy 
prospects. 

I  should  have  stated,  that,  before  leaving  St. 
Louis,  1  went  to  an  old  man  named  Frank,  a 
slave,  owned  by  a  Mr.  Sarpee.  This  old  man 
was  very  distinguished  (not  only  among  the  slave 
population,  but  also  the  whites)  as  a  fortune-teller. 
He  was  about  seventy  years  of  age,  something 
over  six.  feet  high,  and  very  slender.  Indeed,  he 
was  so  small  around  his  body,  that  it  looked  as 
though  it  was  not  strong  enough  to  hold  up  his 


? 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BKOWN.  91 

Uncle  Frank  was  a  very  great  favorite  with 
the  young  ladies,  who  would  go  to  him  in  great 
numbers  to  get  their  fortunes  told.  And  it  was 
generally  believed  that  he  could  really  penetrate 
into  the  mysteries  of  futurity.  Whether  true  or 
not,  he  had  the  name,  and  that  is  about  half  of 
what  one  needs  in  this  gullible  age.  I  found  Uncle 
Prank  seated  in  the  chimney  corner,  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  As  soon  as  I  entered,  the  old 
man  left  his  seat.  I  watched  his  movement  as 
well  as  I  could  by  the  dim  light  of  the  fire.  He 
soon  lit  a  lamp,  and  coming  up,  looked  me  full  in 
the  face,  saying,  "  Well,  my  son,  you  have  come  to 
get  uncle  to  tell  your  fortune,  have  you  V  "  Yes," 
said  I.  But  how  the  old  man  should  know  what 
I  came  for,  I  could  not  tell.  However,  I  paid  the 
fee  of  twenty-five  cents,  and  he  commenced  by 
looking  into  a  gourd,  filled  with  water.  Whether 
the  old  man  was  a  prophet,  or  the  son  of  a  prophet. 
I  cannot  say  :  but  there  is  one  thing  certain,  many 
of  his  predictions  were  verified. 

I  am  no  believer  in  soothsaying;  yet  I  am  some- 
times at  a  loss  to  know  how  Uncle  Frank  could 
tell  so  accurately  what  would  occur  in  the  future. 
Among  the  many  things  he  told  was  one  which 


92  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

was  enough  to  pay  me  for  all  the  trouble  of  hunt- 
ing him  up.  It  was  that  I  should  be  free !  He 
further  said,  that  in  trying  to  get  my  liberty  I 
would  meet  with  many  severe  trials.  I  thought 
to  myself  any  fool  could  tell  me  that ! 

The  first  place  in  which  we  landed  in  a  free 
state  was  Cairo,  a  small  village  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio  river.  We  remained  here  but  a  few 
hours,  when  we  proceeded  to  Louisville.  After 
unloading  some  of  the  cargo,  the  boat  started  on 
her  upward  trip.  The  next  day  was  the  first  of 
January.  I  had  looked  forward  to  New  Year's 
day  as  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  my  life.  I  had  decided  upon  leaving  the 
peculiar  institution  that  day. 

During  the  last  night  that  1  served  in  slavery  1 
did  not  close  my  eyes  a  single  moment.  When 
not  thinking  of  the  future,  my  mind  dwelt  on  the 
past.  The  love  of  a  dear  mother,  a  dear  sister, 
and  three  dear  brothers,  yet  living,  caused  me  to 
shed  many  tears.  If  I  could  only  have  been 
assured  of  their  being  dead,  I  should  have  felt 
satisfied ;  but  I  imagined  1  saw  my  dear  mother 
iu  the  cotton-field,  followed  by  a  merciless  task- 
master, and  no  one  to  speak  a  consoling  word  to 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.   BROWN.  93 

her !  I  beheld  my  dear  sister  in  the  hands  of 
a  slave-driver,  and  compelled  to  submit  to  his 
cruelty  !  None  but  one  placed  in  such  a  situation 
can  for  a  moment  imagine  the  intense  agony  to 
which  these  reflections  subjected  me. 


94  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 


CHAPTER    XI. 

At  last  the  time  for  action  arrived.  The  boat 
landed  at  a  point  which  appeared  to  me  the  place 
of  all  others  to  start  from.  I  found  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  carry  anything  with  me  but 
what  was  upon  my  person.  I  had  some  provi- 
sions, and  a  single  suit  of  clothes,  about  half  worn. 
When  the  boat  was  discharging  her  cargo,  and 
the  passengers  engaged  carrying  their  baggage  on 
and  off  shore,  I  improved  the  opportunity  to  con- 
vey myself  with  my  little  effects  on  land.  Taking 
up  a  trunk,  I  went  up  the  wharf,  and  was  soon 
out  of  the  crowd.  I  made  directly  for  the  woods, 
where  I  remained  until  night,  knowing  well  that  I 
could  not  travel,  even  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  during 
the  day,  without  danger  of  being  arrested. 

I  had  long  since  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
not  trust  myself  in  the  hands  of  any  man,  white  or 
colored.  The  slave  is  brought  up  to  look  upon 
every  white  man  as  an  enemy  to  him  and  his 
race ;  and  twenty-one  years  in  slavery  had  taught 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  95 

me  that  there  were  traitors,  even  among  colored 
people.  After  dark,  I  emerged  from  the  woods 
into  a  narrow  path,  which  led  me  into  the  main 
travelled  road.  But  I  knew  not  which  way  to  go. 
I  did  not  know  north  from  south,  east  from  west. 
I  looked  in  vain  for  the  North  Star ;  a  heavy- 
cloud  hid  it  from  my  view.  I  walked  up  and 
down  the  road  until  near  midnight,  when  the 
clouds  disappeared,  and  I  welcomed  the  sight  of 
my  friend  —  truly  the  slave's  friend — the  North 
Star! 

As  soon  as  I  saw  it,  I  knew  my  course,  and 
before  daylight  I  travelled  twenty  or  twenty-five 
miles.  It  being  in  the  winter,  I  suffered  intensely 
from  the  cold ;  being  without  an  overcoat,  and  my 
other  clothes  rather  thin  for  the  season.  I  was 
provided  with  a  tinder-box.  so  that  I  could  make 
up  a  lire  when  necessary.  And  but  for  this,  I 
should  certainly  have  frozen  to  death ;  for  I  was 
determined  not  to  go  to  any  house  for  shelter.  I 
knew  of  a  man  belonging  to  Gen.  Ashly,  of  St. 
Louis,  who  had  run  away  near  Cincinnati,  on  the 
way  to  Washington,  but  had  been  caught  and  car- 
ried back  into  slavery;  and  I  felt  that  a  similar 


96  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

fate  awaited  me,  should  I  be  seen  by  any  one.  I 
travelled  at  night,  and  lay  by  during  the  day. 

On  the  fourth  day  my  provisions  gave  out,  and 
then  what  to  do  I  could  not  tell.  Have  something 
to  eat  I  must;  but  how  to  get  it  was  the  question ! 
On  the  first  night  after  my  food  was  gone,  I  went 
to  a  barn  on  the  road-side  and  there  found  some 
ears  of  corn.  I  took  ten  or  twelve  of  them,  and 
kept  on  my  journey.  During  the  next  day,  while 
in  the  woods,  I  roasted  my  corn  and  feasted  upon 
it,  thanking  God  that  I  was  so  well  provided  for. 

My  escape  to  a  land  of  freedom  now  appeared 
certain,  and  the  prospects  of  the  future  occupied  a 
great  part  of  my  thoughts.  What  should  be  my 
occupation,  was  a  subject  of  much  anxiety  to  me ; 
and  the  next  thing  what  should  be  my  name?  I 
have  before  stated  that  my  old  master,  Dr.  Young, 
had  no  children  of  his  own,  but  had  with  him  a 
nephew,  the  son  of  his  brother,  Benjamin  Young. 
When  this  boy  was  brought  to  Dr.  Young,  his 
name  being  William,  the  same  as  mine,  my  mother 
was  ordered  to  change  mine  to  something  else. 
This,  at  the  time,  I  thought  to  be  one  of  the  most 
cruel  acts  that  could  be  committed  upon  my  rights; 
and  I  received  several  very  severe  whippings  for 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  97 

telling  people  that  my  name  was  William,  after 
orders  were  given  to  change  it.  Though  young,  I 
was  old  enough  to  place  a  high  appreciation  upon 
my  name.  It  was  decided,  however,  to  call  me 
"  Sandford,"  and  this  name  I  was  known  by,  not 
only  upon  my  master's  plantation,  but  up  to  the 
time  that  I  made  my  escape.  I  was  sold  under 
the  name  of  Sandford. 

But  as  soon  as  the  subject  came  to  my  mind,  I 
resolved  on  adopting  my  old  name  of  William,  and 
let  Sandford  go  by  the  board,  for  I  always  hated 
it.  Not  because  there  was  anything  peculiar  in 
the  name ;  but  because  it  had  been  forced  upon 
me.  It  is  sometimes  common,  at  the  south,  for 
slaves  to  take  the  name  of  their  masters.  Some 
have  a  legitimate  right  to  do  so.  But  I  always 
detested  the  idea  of  being  called  by  the  name  of 
either  of  my  masters.  And  as  for  my  father,  I 
would  rather  have  adopted  the  name  of  "  Friday," 
and  been  known  as  the  servant  of  some  Robinson 
Crusoe,  than  to  have  taken  his  name.  So  I  was 
not  only  hunting  for  my  liberty,  but  also  hunting 
for  a  name;  though  I  regarded  the  latter  as  of  little 
consequence,  if  I  could  but  gain  the  former.  Trav- 
elling along  the  road,  I  would  sometimes  speak  to 
9 


98  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

myself,  sounding  my  name  over,  by  way  of  get- 
ting used  to  it,  before  I  should  arrive  among  civil- 
ized human  beings.  On  the  fifth  or  six  day,  it 
rained  very  fast,  and  froze  about  as  fast  as  it  fell, 
so  that  my  clothes  were  one  glare  of  ice.  I  trav- 
elled on  at  night  until  I  became  so  chilled  and 
benumbed — the  wind  blowing  into  my  face — that 
I  found  it  impossible  to  go  any  further,  and  accord- 
ingly took  shelter  in  a  barn,  where  I  was  obliged 
to  walk  about  to  keep  from  freezing. 

I  have  ever  looked  upon  that  night  as  the  most 
eventful  part  of  my  escape  from  slavery.  Nothing 
but  the  providence  of  God,  and  that  old  barn, 
saved  me  from  freezing  to  death.  I  received  a 
very  severe  cold,  which  settled  upon  my  lungs, 
and  from  time  to  time  my  feet  had  been  frost- 
bitten, so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could  walk. 
In  this  situation  I  travelled  two  days,  when  I 
found  that  I  must  seek  shelter  somewhere,  or  die. 

The  thought  of  death  was  nothing  frightful  to 
me,  compared  with  that  of  being  caught,  and  again 
carried  back  into  slavery.  Nothing  but  the  pros- 
pect of  enjoying  liberty  could  have  induced  me  to 
undergo  such  trials,  for 

"  Behind  I  left  the  whips  and  chains, 
Before  me  were  sweet  Freedom's  plains !" 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  99 

This,  and  this  alone,  cheered  me  onward.  But 
I  at  last  resolved  to  seek  protection  from  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather,  and  therefore  I  secured 
myself  behind  some  logs  and  brush,  intending  to 
wait  there  Until  some  one  should  pass  by ;  for  I 
thought  it  probable  that  I  might  see  some  colored 
person,  or,  if  not,  some  one  who  was  not  a  slave- 
holder ;  for  I  had  an  idea  that  I  should  know  a 
slaveholder  as  far  as  I  could  see  him. 

The  first  person  that  passed  was  a  man  in  a 
buggy-wagon.  He  looked  too  genteel  for  me  to  hail 
him.  Very  soon  another  passed  by  on  horseback. 
I  attempted  to  speak  to  him,  but  fear  made  my 
voice  fail  me.  As  he  passed,  I  left  my  hiding- 
place,  and  was  approaching  the  road,  when  I  ob- 
served an  old  man  walking  towards  me,  leading  a 
white  horse.  He  had  on  a  broad-brimmed  hat  and 
a  very  long  coat,  and  was  evidently  walking  for 
exercise.  As  soon  as  I  saw  him,  and  observed  his 
dress,  I  thought  to  myself,  "You  are  the  man  that 
I  have  been  looking  for!"  Nor  was  I  mistaken. 
He  was  the  very  man  ! 

On  approaching  me,  he  asked  me,  "if  I  was  not 
a  slave."  I  looked  at  him  some  time,  and  then 
asked  him   "if  he  knew  of  any  one  who  would 


100  NARRATIVE    OF    THE 

help  me,  as  I  was  sick."  He  answered  that  he 
would ;  but  again  asked,  if  I  was  not  a  slave.  I 
told  him  I  was.  He  then  said  that  I  was  in  a 
very  pro-slavery  neighborhood,  and  if  I  would 
wait  until  he  went  home,  he  would  get  a  covered 
wagon  for  me.  I  promised  to  remain.  He  mount- 
ed his  horse,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight. 

After  he  was  gone,  I  meditated  whether  to  wait 
or  not;  being  apprehensive  that  he  had  gone  for 
some  one  to  arrest  me.  But  I  finally  concluded  to 
remain  until  he  should  return;  removing  some 
few  rods  to  watch  his  movements.  After  a  sus- 
pense of  an  hour  and  a  half  or  more,  he  returned 
with  a  two-horse  covered  wagon,  such  as  are 
usually  seen  under  the  shed  of  a  Quaker  meeting- 
house on  Sundays  and  Thursdays;  for  the  old 
man  proved  to  be  a  Quaker  of  the  George  Fox 
stamp. 

He  took  me  to  his  house,  but  it  was  some  time 
before  I  could  be  induced  to  enter  it ;  not  until  the 
old  lady  came  out,  did  I  venture  into  the  house.  I 
thought  I  saw  something  in  the  old  lady's  cap  that 
told  me  I  was  not  only  safe,  but  welcome,  in  her 
house.  I  was  not,  however,  prepared  to  receive 
their  hospitalities.     The  only  fault  I  found  with 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  10  J 

them  was  their  being  too  kind.  I  had  never  had  a 
white  man  to  treat  me  as  an  equal,  and  the  idea  of 
a  white  lady  waiting  on  me  at  the  table  was  still 
worse !  Though  the  table  was  loaded  with  the 
good  things  of  this  life,  I  could  not  eat.  I  thought 
if  I  could  only  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  eating  in 
the  kitchen  I  should  be  more  than  satisfied  ! 

Finding  that  I  could  not  eat,  the  old  lady,  who 
was  a  " Thompsonian,"  made  me  a  cup  of  "com- 
position," or  " number  six;"  but  it  was  so  strong 
and  hot,  that  I  called  it  " number  seven!"  How- 
ever, I  soon  found  myself  at  home  in  this  family. 
On  different  occasions,  when  telling  these  facts,  I 
have  been  asked  how  I  felt  upon  finding  myself 
regarded  as  a  man  by  a  white  family :  especially 
just  having  run  away  from  one.  I  cannot  say 
that  I  have  ever  answered  the  question  yet. 

The  fact  that  I  was  in  all  probability  a  freeman, 
sounded  in  my  ears  like  a  charm.  I  am  satisfied 
that  none  but  a  slave  could  place  such  an  appre- 
ciation upon  liberty  as  1  did  at  that  time.  I 
wanted  to  see  mother  and  sister,  that  I  might  tell 
them  "I  was  free!"  I  wanted  to  see  my  fellow- 
slaves  in  St.  Louis,  and  let  them  know  that  the 
chains  were  no  longer  upon  my  limbs.  I  wanted 
9* 


102  NARRATIVE   OF   THE 

to  see  Captain  Price,  and  let  him  learn  from  my 
own  lips  that  I  was  no  more  a  chattel,  but  a  man ! 
I  was  anxious,  too,  thus  to  inform  Mrs.  Price  that 
she  must  get  another  coachman.  And  I  wanted  to 
see  Eliza  more  than  I  did  either  Mr.  or  Mrs. 
Price ! 

The  fact  that  I  was  a  freeman — could  walk, 
talk,  eat  and  sleep,  as  a  man,  and  no  one  to  stand 
over  me  with  the  blood-clotted  cow-hide — all  this 
made  me  feel  that  I  was  not  myself. 

The  kind  friend  that  had  taken  me  in  was 
named  Wells  Brown.  He  was  a  devoted  friend 
of  the  slave;  but  was  very  old,  and  not  in  the 
enjoyment  of  good  health.  After  being  by  the  fire 
awhile,  I  found  that  my  feet  had  been  very  much 
frozen.  I  was  seized  with  a  fever,  which  threat- 
ened to  confine  me  to  my  bed.  But  my  Thomp- 
sonian  friends  soon  raised  me,  treating  me  as 
kindly  as  if  I  had  been  one  of  their  own  children. 
I  remained  with  them  twelve  or  fifteen  days, 
during  which  time  they  made  me  some  clothing, 
and  the  old  gentleman  purchased  me  a  pair  of 
boots. 

I  found  that  I  was  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
from  Dayton,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  between 


I  1PD     OH     -WIt,L,IAM     Tnr.      DROTVN.  103 

one  and  two  hundred  miles  from  Cleaveland,  on 
Lake  Erie,  a  place  I  was  desirous  of  reaching  on 
my  way  to  Canada.  This  I  know  will  sound 
strangely  to  the  ears  of  people  in  foreign  lands,  but 
it  is  nevertheless  true.  An  American  citizen  was 
fleeing  from  a  democratic,  republican,  Christian 
government,  to  receive  protection  under  the  mon- 
archy of  Great  Britain.  While  the  people  of  the 
United  States  boast  of  their  freedom,  they  at  the 
same  time  keep  three  millions  of  their  own  citizens 
in  chains;  and  while  I  am  seated  here  in  sight  of 
Bunker  Hill  Monument,  writing  this  narrative,  I 
am  a  slave,  and  no  law,  not  even  in  Massachu- 
setts, can  protect  me  from  the  hands  of  the  slave- 
holder ! 

Before  leaving  this  good  Quaker  friend,  he  in- 
quired what  my  name  was  besides  William.  I 
told  him  that  I  had  no  other  name.  "  Well,"  said 
he,  "thee  must  have  another  name.  Since  thee 
has  got  out  of  slavery,  thee  has  become  a  man, 
and  men  always  have  two  names." 

I  told  him  that  he  was  the  first  man  to  extend 
the  hand  of  friendship  to  me,  and  I  would  give 
him  the  privilege  of  naming  me. 

"If  I  name  thee,"  said  he,  "I  shall  call  thee 
Wells  Brown,  after  myself."' 


104  NARRATIVE     Vt     i«fc 

"But,"  said  I,  UI  am  not  willing  to  lose  my 
name  of  William.  As  it  was  taken  from  me  once 
against  my  will,  I  am  not  willing  to  part  with  it 
again  upon  any  terms. 

"Then,"  said  he,  "I  will  call  thee  William 
Wells  Brown." 

"  So  be  it,"  said  I ;  and  I  have  been  known  by 
that  name  ever  since  I  left  the  house  of  my  first 
white  friend,  Wells  Brown. 

After  giving  me  some  little  change,  I  again 
started  for  Canada.  In  four  days  I  reached  a  pub- 
lic house,  and  went  in  to  warm  myself.  I  there 
learned  that  some  fugitive  slaves  had  just  passed 
through  the  place.  The  men  in  the  bar-room 
were  talking  about  it,  and  I  thought  that  it  must 
have  been  myself  they  referred  to,  and  I  was  there- 
fore afraid  to  start,  fearing  they  would  seize  me ; 
but  I  finally  mustered  courage  enough,  and  took 
my  leave.  As  soon  as  I  was  out  of  sight,  I  went 
into  the  woods,  and  remained  there  until  night, 
when  I  again  regained  the  road,  and  travelled  on 
until  next  day. 

Not  having  had  any  food  for  nearly  two  days,  I 
was  faint  with  hunger,  and  was  in  a  dilemma 
what  to  do,  as  the  little  cash  supplied  me  by  my 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  105 

adopted  father,  and  which  had  contributed  to  my 
comfort,  was  now  all  gone.  I  however  concluded 
to  go  to  a  farm-house,  and.  ask  for  something  to 
eat.  On  approaching  the  door  of  the  first  one  pre- 
senting itself,  I  knocked,  and  was  soon  met  by  a 
man  who  asked  me  what  I  wanted.  I  told  him 
that  I  would  like  something  to  eat.  He  asked  me 
where  I  was  from,  and  where  I  was  going.  I 
replied  that  I  had  come  some  way,  and  was 
going  to  Cleaveland. 

After  hesitating  a  moment  or  two,  he  told  me 
that  he  could  give  me  nothing  to  eat,  adding, 
"  that  if  I  would  work,  I  could  get  something  to 
eat." 

I  felt  bad,  being  thus  refused  something  to  sus- 
tain nature,  but  did  not  dare  tell  him  that  I  was 
a  slave. 

Just  as  I  was  leaving  the  door,  with  a  heavy 
heart,  a  woman,  who  proved  to  be  the  wife  of  this 
gentleman,  came  to  the  door,  and  asked  her  hus- 
band what  I  wanted.  He  did  not  seem  inclined 
to  inform  her.  She  therefore  asked  me  herself.  I 
told  her  that  I  had  asked  for  something  to  eat. 
After  a  few  other  questions,  she  told  me  to  come 
in,  and  that  she  would  give  me  something  to  eat. 


106  NAKKATIVE    OF    THE 

I  walked  up  to  the  door,  but  the  husband 
remained  in  the  passage,  as  if  unwilling  to  let  me 
enter. 

She  asked  him  two  or  three  times  to  get  out  of 
the  way,  and  let  me  in.  But  as  he  did  not  move, 
she  pushed  him  on  one  side,  bidding  me  walk  in  ! 
I  was  never  before  so  glad  to  see  a  woman  push  a 
man  aside!  Ever  since  that  act,  I  have  been  in 
favor  of  "  woman's  rights  !" 

After  giving  me  as  much  food  as  I  could  eat, 
she  presented  me  with  ten  cents,  all  the  money 
then  at  her  disposal,  accompanied  with  a  note  to  a 
friend,  a  few  miles  further  on  the  road.  Thanking 
this  angel  of  mercy  from  an  overflowing  heart,  I 
pushed  on  my  way,  and  in  three  days  arrived  at 
Cleaveland.  Ohio. 

Being  an  entire  stranger  in  this  place,  it  was 
difficult  for  me  to  find  where  to  stop.  I  had  no 
money,  and  the  lake  being  frozen,  I  saw  that  I 
must  remain  until  the  opening  of  the  navigation, 
or  go  to  Canada  by  way  of  Buffalo.  But  believ- 
ing myself  to  be  somewhat  out  of  danger,  I  secured 
an  engagement  at  the  Mansion  House,  as  a  table 
waiter,  in  payment  for  my  board.  The  proprietor, 
however,  whose  name  was  E.  M.  Segur,  in  a  short 


LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN.  107 

time,  hired  me  for  twelve  dollars  a  month;  on 
which  terms  I  remained  until  spring,  when  I  found 
good  employment  on  board  a  lake  steamboat. 

I  purchased  some  books,  and  at  leisure  moments 
perused  them  with  considerable  advantage  to  my- 
self. While  at  Cleaveland,  I  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  an  anti-slavery  newspaper.  It  was  the 
11  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation"  published 
by  Benjamin  Lundy ;  and  though  I  had  no  home, 
I  subscribed  for  the  paper.  It  was  my  great 
desire,  being  out  of  slavery  myself,  to  do  what  I 
could  for  the  emancipation  of  my  brethren  yet  in 
chains,  and  while  on  Lake  Erie,  I  found  many 
opportunities  of  "helping  their  cause  along." 

It  is  well  known  that  a  great  number  of  fugi- 
tives make  their  escape  to  Canada,  by  way  of 
Cleaveland;  and  while  on  the  lakes,  I  always  made 
arrangement  to  carry  them  on  the  boat  to  Buffalo 
or  Detroit,  and  thus  effect  their  escape  to  the 
"promised  land."  The  friends  of  the  slave,  know- 
ing that  I  would  transport  them  without  charge, 
never  failed  to  have  a  delegation  when  the  boat 
arrived  at  Cleaveland.  I  have  sometimes  had 
four  or  five  on  board  at  one  time. 

In  the  year  1842,  I  conveyed,  from  the  first  of 
May  to  the  first  of  December,  sixty-nine  fugitives 


108  LIFE    OF    WILLIAM    W.    BROWN. 

over  Lake  Erie  to  Canada.  In  1843,  I  visited 
Maiden,  in  Upper  Canada,  and  counted  seventeen 
in  that  small  village,  whom  I  had  assisted  in  reach- 
ing Canada.  Soon  after  coming  north  I  subscribed 
for  the  Liberator,  edited  by  that  champion  of  free- 
dom, William  Lloyd  Garrison.  I  had  heard 
nothing  of  the  anti-slavery  movement  while  in 
slavery,  and  as  soon  as  I  found  that  my  enslaved 
countrymen  had  friends  who  were  laboring  for 
their  liberation,  I  felt  anxious  to  join  them,  and 
give  what  aid  I  could  to  the  cause. 

I  early  embraced  the  temperance  cause,  and 
found  that  a  temperance  reformation  was  needed 
among  my  colored  brethren.  In  company  with  a 
few  friends,  I  commenced  a  temperance  reformation 
among  the  colored  people  in  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
and  labored  three  years,  in  which  time  a  society 
was  built  up,  numbering  over  five  hundred  out  of 
a  population  of  less  than  seven  hundred. 

In  the  autumn,  1843,  impressed  with  the  impor- 
tance of  spreading  anti-slavery  truth,  as  a  means 
to  bring  about  the  abolition  of  slavery,  I  com- 
menced lecturing  as  an  agent  of  the  western  New 
York  Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  have  ever  since 
devoted  my  time  to  the  cause  of  my  enslaved 
countrymen. 


, 


THE    AMERICAN    SLAVE-TRADE.  109 


From  the  Liberty  Ball  of  1848. 

THE   AMERICAN  SLAVE-TRADE. 

BY    WILLIAM    WELLS    BROWN. 

Of  the  many  features  which  American  slavery- 
presents,  the  most  cruel  is  that  of  the  slave-trade. 
A  traffic  in  the  bodies  and  souls  of  native-born 
Americans  is  carried  on  in  the  slave-holding 
states  to  an  extent  little  dreamed  of  by  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  in  the  non -slave-holding  states. 
The  precise  number  of  slaves  carried  from  the 
slave-raising  to  the  slave-consuming  states  we  have 
no  means  of  knowing.  But  it  must  be  very  great, 
as  forty  thousand  were  sold  and  carried  out  of  the 
State  of  Virginia  in  one  single  year  ! 

This  heart-rending  and  cruel  traffic  is  not  con- 
fined to  any  particular  class  of  persons.  No  person 
forfeits  his  or  her  character  or  standing  in  society 
by  being  engaged  in  raising  and  selling  slaves  to 
supply  the  cotton,  sugar,  and  rice  plantations  of 
the  south.  Few  persons  who  have  visited  the 
10 


110  THE    AMERICAN    SLAVE-TRADE. 

slave  states  have  not,  on  their  return,  told  of  the 
gangs  of  slaves  they  had  seen  on  their  way  to  the 
southern  market.  This  trade  presents  some  of  the 
most  revolting  and  atrocious  scenes  which  can  be 
imagined.  Slave-prisons,  slave-auctions,  hand- 
cuffs, whips,  chains,  bloodhounds,  and  other  instru- 
ments of  cruelty,  are  part  of  the  furniture  which 
belongs  to  the  American  slave-trade.  It  is  enough 
to  make  humanity  bleed  at  every  pore,  to  see  these 
implements  of  torture. 

Known  to  God  only  is  the  amount  of  human 
agony  and  suffering  which  sends  its  cry  from  these 
slave-prisons,  unheard  or  unheeded  by  man,  up  to 
His  ear;  mothers  weeping  for  their  children — 
breaking  the  night-silence  with  the  shrieks  of  their 
breaking  hearts.  We  wish  no  human  being  to 
experience  emotions  of  needless  pain,  but  we  do 
wish  that  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  New 
England,  could  visit  a  southern  slave-prison  and 
auction -stand. 

I  shall  never  forget  a  scene  which  took  place  in 
the  city  of  St.  Louis,  while  I  was  in  slavery.  A 
man  and  his  wife,  both  slaves,  were  brought  from 
the  country  to  the  city,  for  sale.  They  were  taken 
to   the  rooms  of  Austin  &  ^4YAGE?  auctioneers 


THE    AMERICAN    SLAVE-TRADE.  Ill 

Several  slave-speculators,  who  are  always  to  be 
found  at  auctions  where  slaves  are  to  be  sold, 
were  present.  The  man  was  first  put  up,  and  sold 
to  the  highest  bidder.  The  wife  was  next  ordered 
to  ascend  the  platform.  I  was  present.  She 
slowly  obeyed  the  order.  The  auctioneer  com- 
menced, and  soon  several  hundred  dollars  were 
bid.  My  eyes  were  intensely  fixed  on  the  face  of 
the  woman,  whose  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears. 
But  a  conversation  between  the  slave  and  his  new 
master  attracted  my  attention.  I  drew  near  them 
to  listen.  The  slave  was  begging  his  new  master 
to  purchase  his  wife.  Said  he,  "Master,  if  you 
will  only  buy  Fanny,  I  know  you  will  get  the 
worth  of  your  money.  She  is  a  good  cook,  a  good 
washer,  and  her  last  mistress  liked  her  very  much. 
If  you  will  only  buy  her  how  happy  I  shall  be." 
The  new  master  replied  that  he  did  not  want  her, 
but  if  she  sold  cheap  he  would  purchase  her.  I 
watched  the  countenance  of  the  man  while  the 
different  persons  were  bidding  on  his  wife.  When 
his  new  master  bid  on  his  wife  you  could  see  the 
smile  upon  his  countenance,  and  the  tears  stop; 
but  as  soon  as  another  would  bid,  you  could  see 
the  countenance  change  and  the  tears  start  afresh. 


112  THE    AMERICAN    SLAVE-TRADE. 

From  this  change  of  countenance  one  could  see 
the  workings  of  the  inmost  soul.  But  this  sus- 
pense did  not  last  long ;  the  wife  was  struck  off  to 
the  highest  bidder,  who  proved  not  to  be  the  owner 
of  her  husband.  As  soon  as  they  became  aware 
that  they  were  to  be  separated,  they  both  burst 
into  tears ;  and  as  she  descended  from  the  auction- 
stand,  the  husband,  walking  up  to  her  and  taking 
her  by  the  hand,  said,  "  Well,  Fanny,  we  are  to 
part  forever,  on  earth ;  you  have  been  a  good  wife 
to  me.  I  did  all  that  I  could  to  get  my  new 
master  to  buy  you;  but  he  did  not  want  you,  and 
all  I  have  to  say  is,  I  hope  you  will  try  to  meet 
me  in  heaven.  I  shall  try  to  meet  you  there." 
The  wife  made  no  reply,  but  her  sobs  and  cries 
told,  too  well,  her  own  feelings.  I  saw  the  coun- 
tenances of  a  number  of  whites  who  were  present, 
and  whose  eyes  were  dim  with  tears  at  hearing 
the  man  bid  his  wife  farewell. 

Such  are  but  common  occurrences  in  the  slave 
states.  At  these  auction-stands,  bones,  muscles, 
sinews,  blood  and  nerves,  of  human  beings,  are 
sold  with  as  much  indifference  as  a  farmer  in 
the  north  sells  a  horse  or  sheep.  And  this  great 
American  nation  is,  at  the  present  time,  engaged 


THE   AMERICAN    SLAVE-TRADE.  113 

in  the  slave-trade.  I  have  before  me  now  the 
Washington  "  Union,"  the  organ  of  the  govern- 
ment, in  which  I  find  an  advertisement  of  several 
slaves  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  government. 
They  will,  in  all  human  probability,  find  homes 
among  the  rice-swamps  of  Georgia,  or  the  cane- 
brakes  of  Mississippi. 

With  every  disposition  on  the  part  of  those  who 
are  engaged  in  it  to  veil  the  truth,  certain  facts 
have,  from  time  to  time,  transpired,  sufficient  to 
show,  if  not  the  full  amount  of  the  evil,  at  least 
that  it  is  one  of  prodigious  magnitude.  And  what 
is  more  to  be  wondered  at,  is  the  fact  that  the 
greatest  slave-market  is  to  be  found  at  the  capital 
of  the  country !  The  American  slave-trader 
marches  by  the  capitol  with  his  "conie-gang,"  — 
the  stars  and  stripes  waving  over  their  heads, 
and  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  in  his 
pocket ! 

The  Alexandria  Gazette,  speaking  of  the  slave- 
trade  at  the  capital,  says,  "  Here  you  may  behold 
fathers  and  brothers  leaving  behind  them  the 
dearest  objects  of  affection,  and  moving  slowly 
along  in  the  mute  agony  of  despair;  there,  the 
young  mother,  sobbing  over  the  infant  whose  inno- 
10* 


Il4  THE   BLIND   SLAVE   BOY. 

cent  smile  seems  but  to  increase  her  misery.  Prom 
some  you  will  hear  the  burst  of  bitter  lamentation, 
while  from  others,  the  loud  hysteric  laugh  breaks 
forth,  denoting  still  deeper  agony.  Such  is  but  a 
faint  picture  of  the  American  slave-trade." 
Boston,  Massachusetts. 


THE  BLIND  SLAVE  BOY. 

BY   MRS.    BAILEY. 

Come  back  to  me  mother  !  why  linger  away 
From  thy  poor  little  blind  boy  the  long  weary  day  J 
I  mark  every  footstep,  I  list  to  each  tone, 
And  wonder  my  mother  should  leave  me  alone  ! 
There  are  voices  of  sorrow,  and  voices  of  glee, 
But  there 's  no  one  to  joy  or  to  sorrow  with  me  ; 
For  each  hath  of  pleasure  and  trouble  his  share, 
And  none  for  the  poor  little  blind  boy  will  care. 

My  mother,  come  back  to  me  !  close  to  thy  breast 
Once  more  let  thy  poor  little  blind  boy  be  pressed  ; 
Once  more  let  me  feel  thy  warm  breath  on  my  cheek, 
And  hear  thee  in  accents  of  tenderness  speak. 
O  mother !  I  've  no  one  to  love  me  —  no  heart 
Can  bear  like  thine  own  in  my  sorrows  a  part, 
No  hand  is  so  gentle,  no  voice  is  so  kind, 
Oh  !  none  like  a  mother  can  cherish  the  blind  ! 

Poor  blind  one  !     No  mother  thy  wailing  can  hear, 

No  mother  can  hasten  to  banish  thy  fear  ; 

For  the  slave-owner  drives  her  o'er  mountain  and  wild, 

And  for  one  paltry  dollar  hath  sold  thee,  poor  child  ; 

Ah,  who  can  in  language  of  mortals  reveal 

The  anguish  that  none  but  a  mother  can  feel. 


THE   BLIND    SLAVE    BOY.  115 

When  man  in  his  vile  lust  of  mammon  hath  trod 
On  her  child,  who  is  stricken  or  smitten  of  God ! 

Blind,  helpless,  forsaken,  with  strangers  alone, 

She  hears  in  her  anguish  his  piteous  moan  ; 

As  he  eagerly  listens — but  listens  in  vain  — 

To  catch  the  loved  tones  of  his  mother  again ! 

The  curse  of  the  broken  in  spirit  shall  fall 

On  the  wretch  who  hath  mingled  this  wormwood  and  gall, 

And  his  gain  like  a  mildew  shall  blight  and  destroy, 

Who  hath  torn  from  his  mother  the  little  blind  boy  ! 


APPENDIX 


In  giving  a  history  of  my  own  sufferings  in  slavery,  as  well 
as  the  sufferings  of  others  with  which  I  was  acquainted,  or 
which  came  under  my  immediate  observation,  I  have  spoken 
harshly  of  slaveholders,  in  church  and  state. 

Nor  am  I  inclined  to  apologize  for  anything  which  I  have 
said.  There  are  exceptions  among  slaveholders,  as  well  as 
among  other  sinners  ;  and  the  fact  that  a  slaveholder  feeds'  his 
slaves  better,  clothes  them  better,  than  another,  does  not  alter 
the  case  ;  he  is  a  slaveholder.  I  do  not  ask  the  slaveholder  to 
feed,  clothe,  or  to  treat  his  .victim  better  as  a  slave.  I  am  not 
waging  a  warfare  against  the  collateral  evils,  or  what  are  some- 
times called  the  abuses,  of  slavery.  I  wage  a  war  against 
slavery  itself,  because  it  takes  man  down  from  the  lofty  posi- 
tion which  God  intended  he  should  occupy,  and  places  him 
upon  a  level  with  the  beasts  of  the  field.  It  decrees  that  the 
slave  shall  not  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
own  conscience  ;  it  denies  him  the  word  of  God  ;  it  makes  him 
a  chattel,  and  sells  him  in  the  market  to  the  highest  bidder  ;  it 
decrees  that  he  shall  not  protect  the  wife  of  his  bosom ; 
it  takes  from  him  every  right  which  God  gave  him.  Cloth- 
ing and  food  are  as  nothing  compared  with  liberty.  What 
care  I  for  clothing  or  food,  while  I  am  the  slave  of  another  ? 
You  may  take  me  and  put  cloth  upon  my  back,  boots  upon  my 
feet,  a  hat  upon  my  head,  and  cram  a  beef-steak  down  my 
throat,  and  all  of  this  will  not  satisfy  me  as  long  as  I  know 
that  you  have  the  power  to  tear  me  from  my  dearest  relatives. 


APPENDIX.  117 

All  I  ask  of  the  slaveholder  is  to  give  the  slave  his  liberty.  It 
is  freedom  I  ask  for  the  slave.  And  that  the  American  slave 
will  eventually  get  his  freedom,  no  one  can  doubt.  You  cannot 
keep  the  human  mind  forever  locked  up  in  darkness.  A  ray  of 
light,  a  spark  from  freedom's  altar,  the  idea  of  inherent  right, 
each,  all,  will  become  fixed  in  the  soul ;  and  that  moment  his 
"  limbs  swell  beyond  the  measure  of  his  chains,"  that  moment 
he  is  free ;  then  it  is  that  the  slave  dies  to  become  a  freeman  ; 
then  it  is  felt  that  one  hour  of  virtuous  liberty  is  worth  an  eter- 
nity of  bondage ;  then  it  is,  in  the  madness  and  fury  of  his  blood, 
that  the  excited  soul  exclaims, 

"From  life  without  freedom,  oh !  who  would  not  fly ; 
For  one  day  of  freedom,  oh  !  who  would  not  die  ?" 

The  rising  of  the  slaves  in  Southampton,  Virginia,  in  1831, 
has  not  been  forgotten  by  the  American  people.  Nat  Turner, 
a  slave  for  life,  — a  Baptist  minister, — entertained  the  idea  that 
he  was  another  Moses,  whose  duty  it  was  to  lead  his  people 
out  of  bondage.  His  soul  was  fired  with  the  love  of  liberty, 
and  he  declared  to  his  fellow-slaves  that  the  time  had  arrived, 
and  that  "  They  who  would  be  free,  themselves  must  strike 
the  blow."  He  knew  that  it  would  be  "liberty  or  death" 
with  his  little  band  of  patriots,  numbering  less  than  three  hun- 
dred .  He  commenced  the  struggle  for  liberty ;  he  knew  his 
cause  was  just,  and  he  loved  liberty  more  than  he  feared 
death.  He  did  not  wish  to  take  the  lives  of  the  whites ;  he 
only  demanded  that  himself  and  brethren  might  be  free.  The 
slaveholders  found  that  men  whose  souls  were  burning  for  lib- 
erty, however  small  their  numbers,  could  not  be  put  down  at 
their  pleasure  ;  that  something  more  than  water  was  wanted  to 
extinguish  the  flame.  They  trembled  at  the  idea  of  meeting 
men  in  open  combat,  whose  backs  they  had  lacerated,  whose 
wives  and  daughters  they  had  torn  from  their  bosoms,  whose 
hearts  were  bleeding  from  the   wounds  inflicted  by  them. 


118  APPENDIX. 

They  appealed  to  the  United  States  government  for  assistance. 
A  company  of  United  States  troops  was  sent  into  Virginia  to 
put  down  men  whose  only  offence  was,  that  they  wanted  to  be 
free.  Yes!  northern  men,  men  born  and  brought  up  in  the 
free  states,  at  the  demand  of  slavery,  marched  to  its  rescue. 
They  succeeded  in  reducing  the  poor  slave  again  to  his  chains ; 
but  they  did  not  succeed  in  crushing  his  spirit. 

Not  the  combined  powers  of  the  American  Union,  not  the 
slaveholders,  with  all  their  northern  allies,  can  extinguish  that 
burning  desire  of  freedom  in  the  slave's  soul !  Northern  men 
may  stand  by  as  the  body-guard  of  slaveholders.  They  may 
succeed  for  the  time  being  in  keeping  the  slave  in  his  chains  ; 
but  unless  the  slaveholders  liberate  their  victims,  and  that,  too, 
speedily,  some  modern  Hannibal  will  make  his  appearance  in 
the  southern  states,  who  will  trouble  the  slaveholders  as  the 
noble  Carthaginian  did  the  Romans.  Abolitionists  deprecate 
the  shedding  of  blood  ;  they  have  warned  the  slaveholders 
again  and  again.  Yet  they  will  not  give  heed,  but  still  persist 
in  robbing  the  slave  of  liberty. 

"  But  for  the  fear  of  northern  bayonets,  pledged  for  the  mas- 
ter's protection,  the  slaves  would  long  since  have  wrung  a 
peaceful  emancipation  from  the  fears  of  their  oppressors,  or 
sealed  their  own  redemption  in  blood."  To  the  shame  of  the 
northern  people,  the  slaveholders  confess  that  to  them  they  are 
"  indebted  for  a  permanent  safe-guard  against  insurrection;" 
that  "  a  million  of  their  slaves  stand  ready  to  strike  for  liberty 
at  the  first  tap  of  the  drum ;"  and  but  for  the  aid  of  the 
north  they  would  be  too  weak  to  keep  them  in  their  chains.  I 
ask  in  the  language  of  the  slave's  poet, 

"  What !  shall  ye  guard  your  neighbor  still, 
While  woman  shrieks  beneath  his  rod, 
And  while  he  tramples  down  at  will 
The  image  of  a  common  God  ? 
Shall  watch  and  ward  be  'round  him  set, 
Of  northern  nerve  and  bayonet?" 


APPENDIX.  119 

The  countenance  of  the  people  at  the  north  has  quieted  the 
the  fears  of  the  slaveholders,  especially  the  countenance  which 
they  receive  from  northern  churches.  "  But  for  the  counte- 
nance of  the  northern  church,  the  southern  conscience  would 
have  long  since  awakened  to  its  guilt :  and  the  impious  sight 
of  a  church  made  up  of  slaveholders,  and  called  the  church  of 
Christ,  been  scouted  from  the  world."  So  says  a  distinguished 
writer. 

Slaveholders  hide  themselves  behind  the  church.  A  more 
praying,  preaching,  psalm-singing  people  cannot  be  found  than 
the  slaveholders  at  the  south.  The  religion  of  the  south  is 
referred  to  every  day,  to  prove  that  slaveholders  are  good, 
pious  men.  But  with  all  their  pretensions,  and  all  the  aid 
which  they  get  from  the  northern  church,  they  cannot  succeed 
in  deceiving  the  Christian  portion  of  the  world.  Their  child- 
robbing,  man-stealing,  woman-whipping,  chain-forging,  mar- 
riage-destroying, slave-manufacturing,  man-slaying  religion, 
will  not  be  received  as  genuine  ;'and  the  people  of  the  free 
states  cannot  expect  to  live  in  union  with  slaveholders,  without 
becoming  contaminated  with  slavery.  They  are  looked  upon 
as  one  people  ;  they  are  one  people  ;  the  people  in  the  free  and 
slave  states  form  the  "American  Union."  Slavery  is  a 
national  institution.  The  nation  licenses  men  to  traffic  in  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  men  ;  it  supplies  them  with  public  buildings 
at  the  capital  of  the  country  to  keep  their  victims  in.  For  a 
paltry  sum  it  gives  the  auctioneer  a  license  to  sell  American 
men,  women,  and  children,  upon  the  auction-stand.  The 
American  slave-trader,  with  the  constitution  in  his  hat  and  his 
license  in  his  pocket,  marches  his  gang  of  chained  men  and 
women  under  the  very  eaves  of  the  nation's  capitol.  And  this, 
too,  in  a  country  professing  to  be  the  freest  nation  in  the  world. 
They  profess  to  be  democrats,  republicans,  and  to  believe  in 
the  natural  equality  of  men  ;  that  they  are  "  all  created  with 
certain  inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life,  liberty,  and 


120  APPENDIX. 

the  pursuit  of  happiness."  They  call  themselves  a  Christian 
nation ;  they  rob  three  millions  of  their  countrymen  of  their 
liberties,  and  then  talk  of  their  piety,  their  democracy,  and 
their  love  of  liberty ;  and,  in  the  language  of  Shakspeare,  say, 

"  And  thus  I  clothe  my  naked  villany. 
And  seem  a  saint  when  most  I  play  the  devil." 

The  people  of  the  United  States,  with  all  their  high  profes- 
sions, are  forging  chains  for  unborn  millions,  in  their  wars  for 
slavery.  With  all  their  democracy,  there  is  not  a  foot  of  land 
over  which  the  "  stars  and  stripes"  fly,  upon  which  the  Amer- 
ican slave  can  stand  and  claim  protection.  Wherever  the 
United  States  constitution  has  jurisdiction,  and  the  American 
flag  is  seen  flying,  they  point  out  the  slave  as  a  chattel,  a  thing, 
a  piece  of  property.  But  I  thank  God  there  is  one  spot  in 
America  upon  which  the  slave  can  stand  and  be  a  man.  No 
matter  whether  the  claimant  be  a  United  States  president,  or 
a  doctor  of  divinity;  no  matter  with  what  solemnities  some 
American  court  may  have  pronounced  him  a  slave  ;  the  moment 
he  makes  his  escape  from  under  the  "  stars  and  stripes,"  and 
sets  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Canada,  "  the  altar  and  the  god  sink 
together  in  the  dust ;  his  soul  walks  abroad  in  her  own  maj- 
esty ;  his  body  swells  beyond  the  measure  of  his  chains,  that 
burst  from  around  him  ;  and  he  stands  redeemed,  regenerated, 
and  disenthralled,  by  the  irresistible  genius  of  universal  eman- 
cipation." 

But  slavery  must  and  will  be  banished  from  the  United 
States  soil : 

"  Let  tyrants  scorn,  while  tyrants  dare, 
The  shrieks  and  writhings  of  despair ; 
The  end  will  come,  it  will  not  wait, 
Bonds,  yokes,  and  scourges  have  their  date ; 
Slavery  itself  must  pass  away, 
And  be  a  tale  of  yesterday." 


APPENDIX.  121 

But  I  will  now  stop,  and  let  the  slaveholders  speak  tot 
themselves.  I  shall  here  present  some  evidences  of  the  treat- 
ment which  slaves  receive  from  their  masters ;  after  which  1 
will  present  a  few  of  the  slave-laws.  And  it  has  been  said, 
and  I  believe  truly,  that  no  people  were  ever  found  to  be 
better  than  their  laws.  And,  as  an  American  slave,  —  as  one 
who  is  identified  with  the  slaves  of  the  south  by  the  scars 
which  I  carry  on  my  back,  — as  one  identified  with  them  by  the 
tehderest  ties  of  nature,  —  as  one  whose  highest  aspirations  are 
to  serve  the  cause  of  truth  and  freedom,  —  I  beg  of  the  reader 
not  to  lay  this  book  down  until  he  or  she  has  read  every  page 
it  contains.  I  ask  it  not  for  my  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of 
three  millions  who  cannot  speak  for  themselves. 


From  the  Livingston  County  (Alabama)  Whig  of  Nov.  16,  1S45. 

11  Negro  Dogs.  — The  undersigned  having  bought  the  entire 
pack  of  Negro  Dogs,  (of  the  Hays  &  Allen  stock,)  he  now 
proposes  to  catch  runaway  Negroes.  His  charge  will  be  three 
dollars  per  day  for  hunting,  and  fifteen  dollars  fur  catching  a 
runaway?  He  resides  three  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Living- 
ston, near  the  lower  Jones'  Bluff  road. 

"  William  Gambrel. 

"Nov.  6,  1845." 

The  Wilmington  [North  Carolina]  Advertiser  of  July  13, 
1838,  contains  the  following  advertisement : 

"  Ranaway,  my  Negro  man  Richard.  A  reward  of  $25 
will  be  paid  for  his  apprehension,  DEAD  or  ALIVE.  Satis- 
factory proof  will  only  be  required  of  his  being  killed.  He  has 
with  him,  in  all  probability,  his  wife  Eliza,  who  ran  away  from 
Col.  Thompson,  now  a  resident  of  Alabama,  about  the  time  he 
commenced  his  journey  to  that  state. 

"D.H.  Rhodes." 
11 


1 22  APPENDIX. 

The  St.  Louis  Gazette  says  — 

"A  wealthy  man  here  had  a  boy  named  Reuben,  almost 
white,  whom  he  caused  to  be  branded  in  the  face  with  the 
words  '  A  slave  for  life.'  " 

From  the  N.  C.  Standard,  July  28,  1838. 
"Twenty  Dollars  Reward.  —  Ranaway  from  the  sub- 
scriber, a  negro  woman  and  two  children  ;  the  woman  is  tall 
and   black,  and  a  few  days  before  she  went  off  I  burnt  her 

ON    THE    LEFT     SIDE     OF    HER    FACE  :     I    TRIED     TO    MAKE     THE 

letter  M,  and  she  kept  a  cloth  over  her  head  and  face,  and  a 
fly  bonnet  over  her  head,  so  as  to  cover  the  burn ;  her  children 
are  both  boys,  the  oldest  is  in  his  seventh  year ;  he  is  a  mu- 
latto and  has  blue  eyes  ;  the  youngest  is  a  black,  and  is  in  his 
fifth  year. 

"  Micajah  Ricks,  Nash  County." 

"  One  of  my  neighbors  sold  to  a  speculator  a  negro  boy,  about 
14  years  old.  It  was  more  than  his  poor  mother  could  bear. 
Her  reason  fled,  and  she  became  a  perfect  maniac,  and  had  to 
be  kept  in  close  confinement.  She  would  occasionally  get  out 
and  run  off  to  the  neighbors.  On  one  of  these  occasions  she 
came  to  my  house.  With  tears  rolling  down  her  cheeks, 
and  her  frame  shaking  with  agony,  she  would  cry  out,  ' Don't 
you  hear  him  —  they  are  whipping  him  now,  and  he  is  calling 
forme!''  This  neighbor  of  mine,  who  tore  the  boy  away 
from  his  poor  mother,  and  thus  broke  her  heart,  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.''''  —  Rev.  Francis  Hawley,  Baptist 
minister,  Colebrooh,  Ct. 

A  colored  man  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis  was  taken  by  a 
mob,  and  burnt  alive  at  the  stake.  A  bystander  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  scene  :  — 

"  After  the  flames  had  surrounded  their  prey,  and  when  his 
clothes  were  in  a  blaze  all  over  him,  his  eyes  burnt  out  of  his 
head,  and  his  mouth  seemingly  parched  to  a  cinder,  some  one 


AFPENDIX.  123 

in  the  crowd,  more  compassionate  than  the  rest,  proposed  to 
put  an  end  to  his  misery  by  shooting  him,  when  it  was  replied, 
that  it  would  be  of  no  use,  since  he  was  already  out  of  his 
pain.  '  No,'  said  the  wretch,  '  I  am  not,  I  am  suffering  as  much 
as  ever,  —  shoot  me,  shoot  me.'  '  No,  no,'  said  one  of  the 
fiends,  who  was  standing  about  the  sacrifice  they  were  roast- 
ing, '  he  shall  not  be  shot ;  I  would  sooner  slacken  the  fire,  if 
that  would  increase  his  misery ; '  and  the  man  who  said  this 
was,  we  understand,  an  officer  of  justice."  —  Alton  Telegraph. 

11  We  have  been  informed  that  the  slave  William,  who  mur- 
dered his  master  (Huskey)  some  weeks  since,  was  taken  by  a 
party  a  few  days  since  from  the  sheriff"  of  Hot  Spring,  and 
burned  alive  !  yes,  tied  up  to  the  limb  of  a  tree  and  a  fire  built 
under  him,  and  consumed  in  a  slow  lingering  torture." — Ar- 
kansas Gazette,  Oct.  29,  1836. 

The  Natchez  Free  Trader,  16th  June,  1842,  gives  a  horrible 
account  of  the  execution  of  the  negro  Joseph  on  the  5th  of  that 
month  for  murder. 

"  The  body,"  says  that  paper,  "  was  taken  and  chained  to 
a  tree  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  on  what  is 
called  Union  Point.  The  torches  were  lighted  and  placed  in 
the  pile.  He  watched  unmoved  the  curling  flame  as  it  grew, 
until  it  began  to  entwine  itself  around  and  feed  upon  his  body ; 
then  he  sent  forth  cries  of  agony  painful  to  the  ear,  begging 
some  one  to  blow  his  brains  out ;  at  the  same  time  surging 
with  almost  superhuman  strength,  until  the  staple  with  which 
the  chain  was  fastened  to  the  tree,  not  being  well  secured, 
drew  out,  and  he  leaped  from  the  burning  pile.  At  that 
moment  the  sharp  ring  of  several  rifles  was  heard,  and  the 
body  of  the  negro  fell  a  corpse  to  the  ground.  He  was  picked 
up  by  two  or  three,  and  again  thrown  into  the  fire  and  con- 
sumed." 


124  APPENDIX. 

"  Another  Negro  Burned.  —  We  learn  from  the  clerk  of 
the  Highlander,  that,  while  wooding  a  short  distance  below  the 
mouth  of  Red  river,  they  were  invited  to  stop  a  short  time  and 
see  another  negro  burned."  —  New  Orleans  Bulletin. 

"  We  can  assure  the  Bostonians,  one  and  all,  who  have  em- 
barked in  the  nefarious  scheme  of  abolishing  slavery  at  the 
south,  that  lashes  will  hereafter  be  spared  the  backs  of  their 
emissaries.  Let  them  send  out  their  men  to  Louisiana ;  they 
will  never  return  to  tell  their  sufferings,  but  they  shall  expiate 
the  crime  of  interfering  in  our  domestic  institutions  by  being 
burned  at  the  stake."  —  New  Orleans  True  American. 

u  The  cry  of  the  whole  south  should  be  death,  instant  death, 
to  the  abolitionist,  wherever  he  is  caught." — Augusta  (Geo.) 

Chronicle. 

"  Let  us  declare  through  the  public  journals  of  our  country, 
that  the  question  of  slavery  is  not  and  shall  not  be  open  for  dis- 
cussion :  that  the  system  is  too  deep-rooted  among  us,  and 
must  remain  forever  ;  that  the  very  moment  any  private  indi- 
vidual attempts  to  lecture  us  upon  its  evils  and  immorality, 
and  the  necessity  of  putting  means  in  operation  to  secure  us 
from  them,  in  the  same  moment  his  tongue  shall  be  cut  out 
and  cast  upon  the  dunghill." —  Columbia  (S.  C.)  Telescope. 

From  the  St.  Louis  Republican. 
"  On  Friday  last  the  coroner  held  an  inquest  at  the  house  of 
Judge  Dunica,  a  few  miles  south  of  the  city,  over  the  body  of 
a  negro  girl,  about  8  years  of  age,  belonging  to  Mr.  Cordell. 
The  body  exhibited  evidence  of  the  most  cruel  whipping  and 
beating  we  have  ever  heard  of.  The  flesh  on  the  back  and 
limbs  was  beaten  to  a  jelly  —  one  shoulder-bone  was  laid  bare 
—  there  were  several  cats,  apparently  from  a  club,  on  the 
head  —  and  around  the  neck  was  the  indentation  of  a  cord,  by 
which  it  is  supposed  she  had  been  confined  to  a  tree.    She  had 


APPENDIX.  125 

been  hired  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Tanner,  residing  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  was  sent  home  in  this  condition.  After 
coming  home,  her  constant  request,  until  her  death,  was  for 
bread,  by  which  it  would  seem  that  she  had  been  starved  as 
well  as  unmercifully  whipped.  The  jury  returned  a  verdict 
that  she  came  to  her  death  by  the  blows  inflicted  by  some  per- 
sons unknown  whilst  she  was  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Tanner. 
Mrs.  Tanner  has  been  tried  and  acquitted." 

A  correspondent  of  the  N.  Y.  Herald  writes  from  St.  Louis, 
Oct.  19  : 

"  I  yesterday  visited  the  cell  of  Cornelia,  the  slave  charged 
with  being  the  accomplice  of  Mrs.  Ann  Tanner  (recently 
acquitted)  in  the  murder  of  a  little  negro  girl,  by  whipping  and 
starvation.  She  admits  her  participancy,  but  says  she  was 
compelled  to  take  the  part  she  did  in  the  affair.  On  one  occa- 
sion she  says  the  child  was  tied  to  a  tree  from  Monday  morn- 
ing till  Friday  night,  exposed  by  day  to  the  scorching  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  by  night  to  the  stinging  of  myriads  of  musquitoes  ; 
and  that  during  all  this  time  the  child  had  nothing  to  eat,  but 
was  whipped  daily.  The  child  told  the  same  story  to  Dr. 
McDowell." 

From  the  Carroll  County  Misaissippian,  May  4th.  1344. 
"  Committed  to  jail  in  this  place,  on  the  29th  of  April  last,  a 
runaway  slave  named  Creesy,  and  says  she  belongs  to  William 
Barrow,  of  Carroll  county,  Mississippi.  Said  woman  is  stout 
built,  five  feet  four  inches  high,  and  appears  to  be  about 
twenty  years  of  age  ;  she  has  a  band  of  iron  on  each  ankle,  and 
a  trace  chain  around  her  neck,  fastened  with  a  common  pad- 
lock. 

"  J.  N.  Spencer,  Jailer. 
"May  15,  1844." 

The   Savannah,  Ga.,   Republican   of  the    13th   of  March, 
11* 


126 


APPENDIX. 


1845,  contains  an  advertisement,  one  item  of  which  is  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  Also,  at  the  same  time  and  place,  the  following  negro 
slaves,  to  wit :  Charles,  Peggy,  Antonnett,  Davy,  September, 
Maria,  Jenny,  and  Isaac — levied  on  as  the  property  of  Henry 
T.  Hall,  to  satisfy  a  mortgage  fi.  fia.  issued  out  of  Mcintosh 
Superior  Court,  in  favor  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia, 
vs.  said  Henry  T.  Hall.     Conditions,  casta 

"  C.  O'Neal,  Deputy  Sheriff,  m.  c." 

In  the  "  Macon  (Georgia)  Telegraph,"  May  28,  is  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  About  the  first  of  March  last,  the  negro  man  Ransom  left 
me,  without  the  least  provocation  whatever.  I  will  give  a 
reward  of  $20  dollars  for  said  negro,  if  taken  dead  or  alive, 
—  and  if  killed  in  any  attempt  an  advance  of  $  5  will  be  paid. 

"  Bryant  Johnson. 

"  Crawford  Co.,  Ga." 

From  the  Apalachicola  Gazette,  May  9. 

"  One  Hundred  and  Fifty  Dollars  Reward.  —  Ranaway 
from  my  plantation  on  the  6th  inst.,  three  negro  men,  all  of 
dark  complexion. 

"  Bill  is  about  five  feet  four  inches  high,  aged  about 
twenty-six,  a  scar  on  his  upper  Up,  also  one  on  his  shoulder, 
and  has  been  badly  cut  on  his  arm  ;  speaks  quick  and  broken , 
and  a  venomous  look. 

"  Daniel  is  about  the  same  height,  chunky  and  well  set, 
broad,  flat  mouth,  with  a  pleasing  countenance,  rather  inclined 
to  show  his  teeth  when  talking,  no  particular  marks  recol- 
lected, aged  about  twenty-three. 

"  Noah  is  about  six  feet  three  or  four  inches  high,  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  with  rather  a  down,  impudent  look,  insolent  in 
his  discourse,  with  a  large  mark  on  his  breast,  a  good  many 


APPENDIX.  127 

large  scars,  caused  by  the  whip,  on  his  back  —  has  been  shot  in 
the  back  of  his  arm  with  small  shot.  The  above  reward  will  be 
paid  to  any  one  who  will  kill  the  three,  or  fifty  for  either  one, 
or  twenty  dollars  apiece  for  them  delivered  to  me  at  my  plan* 
tation  alive,  on  Chattahoochie,  Early  county. 

"  J.  McDonald." 

From  the  Alabama  Beacon,  June  11,  181-5. 

"  Ranaway,  on  the  15th  of  May,  from  me,  a  negro  woman 
named  Fanny,  Said  woman  is  twenty  years  old  ;  is  rather 
tall,  can  read  and  write,  and  so  forge  passes  for  herself.  Car- 
ried away  with  her  a  pair  of  ear-rings,  a  Bible  with  a  red 
cover,  is  very  pious.  She  prays  a  great  deal,  and  was,  as  sup- 
posed, contented  and  happy.  She  is  as  white  as  most  white 
women,  with  straight  light  hair,  and  blue  eyes,  and  can  pass 
herself  for  a  white  woman.  I  will  give  five  hundred  dollars 
for  her  apprehension  and  delivery  to  me.  She  is  very  intelli- 
gent. "John  Balcii. 
-"  Tuscaloosa,  May,  29,  1845." 

Frum  the  N.  O.  Commercial  Bulletin,  SepL.  30. 

"  Ten  Dollars  Reward.  —  Ranaway  from  the  subscribers, 
on  the  15th  of  last  month,  the  negro  man  Charles,  about  45 
years  of  age,  5  feet  G  inches  high  ;  red  complexion,  has  had 
the  upper  lid  of  his  right  eye  torn,  and  a  scar  on  his  forehead ; 
speaks  English  only,  and  stutters  when  spoken  to  ;  he  had  on 
when  he  left,  an  iron  collar,  the  prongs  of  which  he  broke  off 
before  absconding.  The  above  reward  will  be  paid  for  the 
arrest  of  said  slave.  '  W.  E.  &  R.  Murphy, 

"  132  Old  Raisin." 
From  the  N.  O.  Bee,  Oct.  5. 

"  Ranaway  from  the  residence  of  Messrs.  F.  Duncom  &  Co., 
the  negro  Francois,  aged  from  25  to  30  years,  about  5  feet  1 
inch  in  height ;  the  upper  front   teeth   are   missing ;  he  had 


128  APPENDIX. 

sackcloth.     A  proportionate  reward  will  be  given  to  whoever 
will  bring  him  back  to  the  bakery,  No.  74,  Bourbon  street." 

From  the  N.  O.  Picayune  of  Sunday,  Dec.  17. 
"  Cock-pit. — Benefit  of  Fire  Company  No.  1,  Lafayette. 
—  A  cock-fight  will  take  place  on  Sunday,  the  17th  inst.,  at 
the  well-known  house  of  the  subscriber.  As  the  entire  pro- 
ceeds are  for  the  benefit  of  the  fire  company,  a  full  attendance 
is  respectfully  solicited.  Adam  Israng. 

"  Corner  of  Josephine  and  Tchoupitolas  streets,  Lafayette." 
From  the  N.  O.  Picayune. 

11  Turkey  Shooting. — This  day,  Dec.  17,  from  10  o'clock, 
a.  m.,  until  6  o'clock,  p.  m.,  and  the  following  Sundays,  at 
M'Donoughville,  opposite  the  Second  Municipality  Ferry." 

The  next  is  an  advertisement  from  the  New  Orleans  Bee,  an 
equally  popular  paper. 

"  A  Bull  Fight,  between  a  ferocious  bull  and  a  number  of 
dogs,  will  take  place  on  Sunday  next,  at  4^  o'clock,  p.  m.,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  at  Algiers,  opposite  Canal  street. 
After  the  bull  fight,  a  fight  will  take  place  between  a  bear  and 
some  dogs.  The  whole  to  conclude  by  a  combat  between  an 
ass  and  several  dogs. 

"  Amateurs  bringing  dogs  to  participate  in  the  fight  will  be 
admitted  gratis.  Admittance — Boxes,  50  cts.;  Pit,  30  cts. 
The  spectacle  will  be  repeated  every  Sunday,  weather  permit- 
ting. "  Pepe  Llulla." 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  AMERICAN  SLAVE 
CODE. 

The  following  are  mostly  abridged  selections  from  the  stat- 
utes of  the  slave  states  and  of  the  United  States.     They  give 


ArPENDlX.  129 

but  a  faint  view  of  the  cruel  oppression  to  which  the  slaves  are 
subject,  but  a  strong  one  enough,  it  is  thought,  to  fill  every 
honest  heart  with  a  deep  abhorrence  of  the  atrocious  system. 
Most  of  the  important  provisions  here  cited,  though  placed 
under  the  name  of  only  one  state,  prevail  in  nearly  all  the 
states,  with  slight  variations  in  language,  and  some  diversity  in 
the  penalties.  The  extracts  have  been  made  in  part  from 
Stroud's  Sketch  of  the  Slave  Laws,  but  chiefly  from  authorized 
editions  of  the  statute  books  referred  to,  found  in  the  Philadel- 
phia Law  Library.  As  the  compiler  has  not  had  access  to 
many  of  the  later  enactments  of  the  several  states,  nearly  all 
he  has  cited  are  acts  of  an  earlier  date  than  that  of  the  present 
anti-slavery  movement,  so  that  their  severity  cannot  be  ascribed 
to  its  influence. 

The  cardinal  principle  of  slavery,  that  the  slave  is  not  to  be 
ranked  among  sentient  beings,  but  among  things  —  is  an  article 
of  property,  a  chattel  personal  —  obtains  as  undoubted  law  in 
all  the  slave  states.*  —  Stroud's  Sketch,  p.  22. 

The  dominion  of  the  master  is  as  unlimited  as  is  that  which 
is  tolerated  by  the  laws  of  any  civilized  country  in  relation  to 
brute  animals  —  to  quadrupeds;  to  use  the  words  of  the  civil 
law.  —  lb.  24. 

Slaves  cannot  even  contract  matrimony. f  —  lb.  61. 

LOUISIANA.  —  A  slave  is  one  who  is  in  the  power  of  his 
master,  to  whom  he  belongs.  The  master  may  sell  him,  dis- 
pose of  his  person,  his  industry  and  his  labor  ;  he  can  do 
nothing,  possess  nothing,  nor  acquire  anything,  but  what  must 
belong  to  his  master. — Civil  Code,  Art.  35. 

*  In  accordance  with  this  doctrine,  an  act  of  Maryland,  1793,  enumerates 
among  articles  of  property,  "slaves,  working  Leasts,  animals  of  any  kind, 
Slock,  furniture,  plate,  and  so  forth."  — lb.  23. 

t  A  slave  is  not  admonished  for  incontinence,  punished  for  adultery,  nor 
prosecuted  for  bigamy.  —  Attorney  General  of  Maryland,  Md.  Rep.  Vol  I. 
561. 


130  APPENDIX. 

Slaves  are  incapable  of  inheriting  or  transmitting  property. 
—  Civil  Code,  Art.  945;  also  Art.  175,  and  Code  of  Practice, 
Art.  103. 

Martin's  Digest,  Act  of  June  7,  1806.  —  Slaves  shall  always 
be  reputed  and  considered  real  estate ;  shall  be  as  such  sub- 
ject to  be  mortgaged,  according  to  the  rules  prescribed  by  law, 
and  they  shall  be  seized  and  sold  as  real  estate.  — Vol.  I.,  p. 
612. 

Big.  Stat.  Sec  13. — No  owner  of  slaves  shall  hire  his 
slaves  to  themselves,  under  a  penalty  of  twenty-five  dollars  for 
each  offence.  —  Vol.  I.,  p.  102. 

Sec.  15.  —  No  slave  can  possess  anything  in  his  own  right, 
or  dispose  of  the  produce  of  his  own  industry,  without  the  con- 
sent of  his  master. — p.  103. 

Sec.  16.  —  No  slave  can  be  party  in  a  civil  suit,  or  witness 
in  a  civil  or  criminal  matter,  against  any  white  person.  —  p.  103. 
See  also  Civil  Code,  Art.  117,  p.  28. 

Sec.  18.  — A  slave's  subordination  to  his  master  is  suscepti- 
ble of  no  restriction,  (except  in  what  incites  to  crime,)  and  he 
owes  to  him  and  all  his  family,  respect  without  bounds,  and 
absolute  obedience. — p.  103. 

Sec.  25. — Every  slave  found  on  horseback,  without  a  writ- 
ten permission  from  his  master,  shall  receive  twenty-five 
lashes.  —  p.  105. 

Sec.  32.  —  Any  freeholder  may  seize  and  correct  any  slave 
found  absent  from  his  usual  place  of  work  or  residence,  with- 
out some  white  person,  and  if  the  slave  resist  or  try  to  escape, 
he  may  use  arms,  and  if  the  slave  assault*  and  strike  him,  he 
may  hill  the  slave.  —  p.  109. 

Sec.  35.  —  It  is  lawful  to  fire  upon  runaway  negroes  who 
are  armed,  and  upon  those  who,  when  pursued,  refuse  to  sur- 
render. —  p.  109. 

*  The  legal  meaning  of  assault  is  to  offer  to  do  personal  violence. 


APPENDIX.  131 

Sec.  38.  —  No  slave  may  buy,  sell,  or  exchange  any  kind 
of  goods,  or  hold  any  boat,  or  bring  up  for  his  own  use  any 
horses  or  cattle,  under  a  penalty  of  forfeiting  the  whole. — p. 
110. 

Sec.  7. —  Slaves  or  free  colored  persons  are  punished  with 
death  for  wilfully  burning  or  destroying  any  stack  of  produce  or 
any  building. — p.  115. 

Sec.  15.  —  The  punishment  of  a  slave  for  striking  a  white 
person,  shall  be  for  the  first  and  second  offences  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  court,*  but  not  extending  to  life  or  limb,  and  for  the 
third  offence  death;  but  for  grievously  wounding  or  mutilating 
a  white  person,  death  for  the  first  offence ;  provided,  if  the 
blow  or  wound  is  given  in  defence  of  the  person  or  property  of 
his  master,  or  the  person  having  charge  of  him,  he  is  entirely 
justified. 

Act  of  Feb.  22,  1824,  Sec.  2.  —  A  slave  for  wilfully  striking 
his  master  or  mistress,  or  the  child  of  either,  or  his  white  over- 
seer, so  as  to  cause  a  bruise  or  shedding  of  blood,  shall  be  pun- 
ished with  death.  —  p.  125. 

Act  of  March  6,  1819.  —  Any  person  cutting  or  breaking 
any  iron  chain  or  collar  used  to  prevent  the  escape  of  slaves, 
shall  be  fined  not  less  than  two  hundred  dollars,  nor  more 
than  one  thousand  dollars,  and  be  imprisoned  not  more 
than  two  years  nor  less  than  six  months.  —  p.  64  of  the 
session. 

Law  of  January  8,  1813,  Sec.  71.  —  All  slaves  sentenced  to 
death  or  perpetual  imprisonment,  in  virtue  of  existing  laws, 
shall  be  paid  for  out  of  the  public  treasury,  provided  the  sum 
paid  shall  not  exceed  $  300  for  each  slave. 

Law  of  March  16,  1830,  Sec.  93.  — The  state  treasurer  shall 
pay  the  owners  the  value  of  all  slaves  whose  punishment  has 

*  A  court  for  the  trial  of  slaves  consists  of  one  justice  of  the  peace,  and  three 
freeholders,  and  the  justice  and  one  freeholder,  i.  e.,  one  half  the  court,  may 
convict,  though  the  other  two  are  for  acquittal.  — Martin's  Dig.,  T  B46. 


132  APPENDIX. 

been  commuted  from  that  of  death  to  that  of  imprisonment  for 
life,  &c. 

If  any  slave  shall  happen  to  be  slain  for  refusing  to  surrender 
him  or  herself,  contrary  to  law,  or  in  unlawfully  resisting-  any 
officer  or  other  person,  who  shall  apprehend,  or  endeavor  to 
apprehend,  such  slave  or  slaves,  &c,  such  officer  or  other 
person  so  killing  such  slave  as  aforesaid,  making  resistance, 
shall  be,  and  he  is  by  this  act,  indemnified,  from  any  pros- 
ecution for  such  killing  aforesaid,  &c.  —  Maryland  Laws,  act 
of  1751,  chap  xiv.,  §9. 

And  by  the  negro  act  of  1740,  of  South  Carolina,  it  is 
declared  : 

If  any  slave,  who  shall  be  out  of  the  house  or  plantation 
where  such  slave  shall  live,  or  shall  be  usually  employed,  or 
without  some  white  person  in  company  with  such  slave,  shall 
refuse  to  submit  to  undergo  the  examination  of  any  white  per- 
son, it  shall  be  lawful  for  such  white  person  to  pursue,  appre- 
hend, and  moderately  correct  such  slave  ;  and  if  such  slave 
shall  assault  and  strike  such  white  person,  such  slave  may  be 
lawfully  hilled! !  —  2  Brevard's  Digest,  231. 

MISSISSIPPI.  Chapt.  92,  Sec.  110.  — Penalty  for  any 
slave  or  free  colored  person  exercising  the  functions  of  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  thirty-nine  lashes  ;  but  any  master  may  per- 
mit his  slave  to  preach  on  his  own  premises,  no  slaves  but  his 
own  being  permitted  to  assemble.  — Digest  of  Stat.,  p.  770. 

Act  of  June  18,  1822,  Sec.  21.  —  No  negro  or  mulatto  can 
be  a  witness  in  any  case,  except  against  negroes  or  mulattoes. 
—  p.  749.     New  Code,  372. 

Sec.  25.  —  Any  master  licensing  his  slave  to  go  at  large 
and  trade  as  a  freeman,  shall  forfeit  fifty  dollars  to  the  state  for 
the  literary  fund. 

Penalty  for  teaching  a  slave  to  read,  imprisonment  one  year. 
For  using  language  having  a  tendency  to  promote  discontent 
among  free  colored  people,  or  insubordination  among  slaves, 


APPENDIX.  133 

imprisonment  at  hard  labor,  not  less  than  three,  nor  more  than 
twenty-one  years,  or  death,  at  the  discretion  of  the  court. 

—  L.  M.  Child's  Appeal,  p.  70. 

Sec.  26.  — It  is  lawful  for  any  person,  and  the  duty  of  every 
sheriff,  deputy-sheriff,  coroner  and  constable  to  apprehend  any 
slave  going  at  large,  or  hired  out  by  him,  or  herself,  and  take 
him  or  her  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  who  shall  impose  a 
penalty  of  not  less  than  twenty  dollars,  nor  more  than  fifty  dol- 
lars, on  the  owner,  who  has  permitted  such  slave  to  do  so. 

Sec.  32. —  Any  negro  or  mulatto,  for  using  abusive  lan- 
guage, or  lifting  his  hand  in  opposition  to  any  white  person, 
(except  in  self-defence  against  a  wanton  assault,)  shall,  on 
proof  of  the  offence  by  oath  of  such  person,  receive  such 
punishment  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  may  order,  not  exceeding 
thirty-nine  lashes. 

Sec.  41  —  Forbids  the  holding  of  cattle,  sheep  or  hogs  by 
slaves,  even  with  consent  of  the  master,  under  penalty  of  for- 
feiture, half  to  the  county,  and  half  to  the  informer. 

Sec.  42  —  Forbids  a  slave  keeping  a  dog,  under  a  penalty 
of  twenty-five  stripes  ;  and  requires  any  master  who  permits  it 
to  pay  a  fine  of  five  dollars,  and  make  good  all  damages  done 
by  such  dog. 

Sec.  43  —  Forbids  slaves  cultivating  cotton  for  their  own 
use,  and  imposes  a  fine  of  fifty  dollars  on  the  master  or  over- 
seer who  permits  it. 

Revised  Code.  —  Every  negro  or  mulatto  found  in  the  state, 
not  able  to  show  himself  entitled  to  freedom,  may  be  sold  as  a 
slave.  —  p.  389.  The  owner  of  any  plantation,  on  which  a 
slave  comes  without  written  leave  from  his  master,  and  not  on 
lawful  business,  may  inflict  ten  lashes  for  every  such  offence. 

—  p.  371. 

ALABAMA .  —  Aiken's  Digest .     Tit.  Slaves,  $c. ,  Sec .  3 1 . 

—  For  attempting  to  teach  any  free  colored  person,  or  slave,  to 

12 


134  APPENDIX. 

spell,  read  or  write,  a  fine  of  not  less  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  nor  more  than  five  hundred  dollars  !  — p.  397. 

Sec.  35  and  36.  —  Any  free  colored  person  found  with  slaves 
in  a  kitchen,  outhouse  or  negro  quarter,  without  a  written  per- 
mission from  the  master  or  overseer  of  said  slaves,  and  any 
slave  found  without  such  permission  with  a  free  negro  on  his 
premises,  shall  receive  fifteen  lashes  for  the  first  offence,  and 
thirty-nine  for  each  subsequent  offence  ;  to  be  inflicted  by  mas- 
ter, overseer,  or  member  of  any  patrol  company. — p.  397. 

Toulmin's  Digest.  — No  slave  can  be  emancipated  but  by  a 
special  act  of  the  Legislature.  —  p.  623. 

Act  Jan.  1st,  1823  —  Authorizes  an  agent  to  be  appointed 
by  the  governor  of  the  state,  to  sell  for  the  benefit  of  the  state 
all  persons  of  color  brought  into  the  United  States  and  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  Alabama,  contrary  to  the  laws  of  congress 
■prohibiting  the  slave  trade.  — p.  643. 

GEORGIA.  —  Prince's  Digest.  Act  Dec.  19, 1818.  —  Pen- 
alty for  any  free  person  of  color  (except  regularly  articled  sea- 
men) coming  into  the  state,  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and 
on  failure  of  payment  to  be  sold  as  a  slave.  — p.  465. 

Penalty  for  permitting  a  slave  to  labor  or  do  business  for 
himself,  except  on  his  master's  premises,  thirty  dollars  per 
week.  — p.  457. 

No  slave  can  be  a  party  to  any  suit  against  a  white  man, 
except  on  claim  of  his  freedom,  and  every  colored  person  is  pre- 
sumed to  be  a  slave,  unless  he  can  prove  himself  free.  —  p.  446. 

Act  Dec.  13,  1792  —  Forbids  the  assembling  of  negroes 
under  pretence  of  divine  worship,  contrary  to  the  act  regulating 
patrols,  p.  342.  This  act  provides  that  any  justice  of  the 
peace  may  disperse  any  assembly  of  slaves  which  may  endan- 
ger the  peace  ;  and  every  slave  found  at  such  meeting  shall 
receive,   without  trial,  twenty-five  stripes !  — p.  447. 

Any  person  who  sees  more  than  seven  men  slaves  without 


APPENDIX.  135 

any  white  person,  in  a  high  road,  may  whip  each  slave  twenty 
lashes.  — p.  454. 

Any  slave  who  harbors  a  runaway,  may  suffer  punishment 
to  any  extent,  not  affecting  life  or  limb.  —  p.  452. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA.  —  Brevard's  Digest.  —  Slaves  shall 
be  deemed  sold,  taken,  reputed,  and  adjudged  in  law  to  be 
chattels  personal  in  the  hands  of  their  owners  and  possessors, 
and  their  executors,  administrators,  and  assigns,  to  all  intents, 
constructions  and  purposes  whatever.  —  Vol.  ii.,  p.  229. 

Act  of  1740,  in  the  preamble,  states  that  "  many  owners  of 
slaves  and  others  that  have  the  management  of  them  do  con- 
fine them  so  closely  to  hard  labor,  that  they  have  not  sufficient 
time  for  natural  rest,'1  and  enacts  that  no  slave  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  labor  more  than  fifteen  hours  in  the  twenty-four,  from 
March  25th  to  Sept.  25th,  or  fourteen  in  the  twenty-four  for  the 
rest  of  the  year.    Penalty  from  £5  to  .£20.  — Vol.  ii.,  p.  243. 

[Yet,  in  several  of  the  slave  states,  the  time  of  work  for 
criminals  whose  punishment  is  hard  labor,  is  eight  hours  a  day 
for  three  months,  nine  hours  for  two  months,  and  ten  for  the 
rest  of  the  year.] 

A  slave  endeavoring  to  entice  another  slave  to  run  away,  if 
provision  be  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  or  abetting  such 
endeavor,  shall  suffer  death.  —  pp.  233  and  244. 

Penalty  for  cruelly  scalding  or  burning  a  slave,  cutting  out 
his  tongue,  putting  out  his  eye,  or  depriving  him  of  any  limb, 
a  fine  of  jCIOO.  For  beating  with  a  horse-whip,  cow-skin, 
switch  or  small  stick,  or  putting  irons  on,  or  imprisoning  a 
slave,  no  penalty  or  prohibition.  — p.  241. 

Any  person  who,  not  having  lawful  authority  to  do  so,  shall 
beat  a  slave,  so  as  to  disable  him  from  working,  shall  pay 
fifteen  shillings  a  day  to  the  owner,  for  the  slave's  lost  time, 
and  the  charge  of  his  cure.  — pp.  231  and  232. 

A  slave  claiming  his  freedom  may  sue  for  it  by  some  friend 
who  will  act  as  guardian,  but  if  the  action  be  judged  ground- 


1 36  APPENDIX. 

less,  said  guardian  shall  pay  double  costs  of  suit,  and  such 
damages  to  the  owner  as  the  court  may  decide.  — p.  260. 

Any  assembly  of  slaves  or  free  colored  persons,  in  a  secret  or 
confined  place,  for  mental  instruction,  (even  if  white  persons 
are  present,)  is  an  unlawful  meeting,  and  magistrates  must  dis- 
perse it,  breaking  doors  if  necessary,  and  may  inflict  twenty 
lashes  upon  each  slave  or  colored  person  present. — pp.  254 
and  255. 

Meetings  for  religious  worship,  before  sunrise,  or  after  9 
o'clock,  p.  m.,  unless  a  majority  are  white  persons,  are  forbid- 
den ;  and  magistrates  are  required  to  disperse  them.  —  p.  261. 

A  slave  who  lets  loose  any  boat  from  the  place  where  the 
owner  has  fastened  it,  for  the  first  offence  shall  receive  thirty- 
nine  lashes,  and  for  the  second  shall  have  one  ear  cut  off.  —  p.  228. 

James'  Digest.  —  Penalty  for  hilling  a  slave,  on  sudden  heat 
of  passion,  or  by  undue  correction,  a  fine  of  $500  and  impris- 
onment not  over  six  months.  — p.  392. 

NORTH  CAROLINA.  —  Haywood's  Manual.—  Act  of 
1798,  Sec.  3,  enacts,  that  the  killing  of  a  slave  shall  bp 
punished  like  that  of  a  free  man  :  except  in  the  case  of  a  slave 
out-lawed*  or  a  slave  offering  to  resist  his  master,  or  a  slave 
dying  under  moderate  correction.  — p.  530. 

Act  of  1799.  —  Any  slave  set  free,  except  for  meritorious 
services,  to  be  adjudged  of  by  the  county  court,  may  be  seized 
by  any  freeholder,  committed  to  jail,  and  sold  to  the  highest  bid- 
der.]—-p.  525. 

Patrols  are  not  liable  to  the  master  for  punishing  his  slave, 
unless  their  conduct  clearly  shows  malice  against  the  master. 
—  Hawk's  Reps.,  vol.  i.,  p.  418. 

*  A  slave  may  be  out-lawed  when  he  runs  away,  conceals  himself,  and,  to  sus- 
tain life,  kills  a  hog,  or  any  animal  of  the  cattle  kind.  — Haytcood's  Manual, 
p.  521. 

t  In  South  Carolina,  any  person  may  seize  such  freed  man  and  keep  him  a? 
his  property. 


APPENMX.  137 

TENNESSEE.  —  Stat.  Law,  Chap.  57,  Sec.  1.  — Penalty 
on  master  for  hiring  to  any  slave  his  own  time,  a  fine  of  not 
less  than  one  dollar  nor  more  than  two  dollars  a  day,  half  to 
the  informer.  —  p.  679. 

Chap.  2,  Sec.  102.  —  No  slave  can  be  emancipated  but  on 
condition  of  immediately  removing  from  the  state,  and  the  per- 
son emancipating  shall  give  bond,  in  a  sum  equal  to  the  slave's 
value,  to  have  him  removed.  — p.  279. 

Laws  of  1813.  Chap.  35.  — In  the  trial  of  slaves,  the 
sheriff  chooses  the  court,  which  must  consist  of  three  justices 
and  twelve  slaveholders  to  serve  as  jurors. 

ARKANSAS.—  Rev.  Stat.,  Sec.  4,  requires  the  patrol 
to  visit  all  places  suspected  of  unlawful  assemblages  of  slaves  ; 
and  sec.  5  provides  that  any  slave  found  at  such  assembly,  or 
strolling  about  without  a  pass,  shall  receive  any  number  of 
lashes,  at  the  discretion  of  the  patrol,  not  exceeding  twenty.  — 
p.  604. 

MISSOURI.  —  Laws,  I.  —  Any  master  may  commit  to  jail, 
there  to  remain,  at  his  pleasure,  any  slave  who  refuses  to  obey 
him  or  his  overseer.  —  p.  309. 

Whether  a  slave  claiming  freedom  may  even  commence  a 
suit  for  it,  may  depend  on  the  decision  of  a  single  judge. 
—  Stroud's  Sketch,  p.  78,  note  which  refers  to  Missouri  laws, 
I.,  404. 

KENTUCKY.  —  Dig.  of  Stat. ,  Act  Feb.  8, 1798,  Sec.  5.  — 
No  colored  person  may  keep  or  carry  gun,  powder,  shot,  club  or 
other  weapon,  on  penalty  of  thirty-nine  lashes,  and  forfeiting  the 
weapon,  which  any  person  is  authorized  to  take. 

VIRGINIA.  —  Rev.  Code. —  Any  emancipated  slave  remain- 
ing in  the  state  more  than  a  year,  may  be  sold  by  the  over- 
seers of  the  poor,  for  the  benefit  of  the  literary  fund  ! — Vol. 
i.,  p.  436. 

Any  slave  or  free  colored  person  found  at  any  school  for 
teaching  reading  or  writing,  by  day  or  night,  may  be  whipped, 
12* 


138  APPENDIX. 

at  the  discretion  of  a  justice,  not  exceeding  twenty  lashes.  — 
p.  424. 

Suppl.  Rev.  Code.  —  Any  white  person  assembling  with 
slaves,  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  them  to  read  or  write,  shall 
be  fined,  not  less  than  10  dollars,  nor  more  than  100  dollars ; 
or  with  free  colored  persons,  shall  be  fined  not  more  than  fifty 
dollars,  and  imprisoned  not  more  than  two  months. — p.  245. 

By  the  revised  code,  seventy-one  offences  are  punished  with 
death,  when  committed  by  slaves,  and  by  nothing  more  than 
imprisonment  when  by  the  whites.  — Stroud's  Sketch,  p.  107. 

Rev.  Code.  — In  the  trial  of  slaves,  the  court  consists  of  five 
justices  without  juries,  even  in  capital  cases.  —  I.,  p.  420. 

MARYLAND.  —  Stat.  Law,  Sec.  8.  —  Any  slave,  for  ram- 
bling in  the  night,  or  riding  horses  by  day  without  leave,  or  run- 
ning away,  may  be  punished  by  whipping,  cropping,  or  brand- 
ing in  the  cheek,  or  otherwise,  not  rendering  him  unfit  for 
labor. —p.  237. 

Any  slave  convicted  of  petty  treason,  murder,  or  wilful  burn- 
ing of  dwelling  houses,  may  be  sentenced  to  have  the  right  hand 
cut  off,  to  be  hanged  in  the  usual  manner,  the  head  severed  from 
the  body,  the  body  divided  into  four  quarters,  and  the  head  and 
quarters  set  up  in  the  most  public  place  in  the  country  where 
such  fact  was  committed!  !  —  p.  190. 

Act  1717,  Chap.  13,  Sec.  5  —  Provides  that  any  free  colored 
person  marrying  a  slave,  becomes  a  slave  for  life,  except  mu- 
lattoes  born  of  white  women. 

DELAWARE.  —  Laws.  —  More  than  six  men  slaves, 
meeting  together,  not  belonging  to  one  master,  unless  on  law- 
ful business  of  their  owners,  may  be  whipped  to  the  extent  of 
twenty-one  lashes  each.  — p    104. 

UNITED  STATES.—  Constitution.  —  The  chief  pro- 
slavery  provisions  of  the  constitution,  as  is  generally  known, 
are,  1st,  that  by  virtue  of  which  the  slave  states  are  represented 


APPENDIX.  139 

in  congress  for  three-fifths  of  their  slaves;*  2nd,  that  re- 
quiring  the  giving  up  of  any  runaway  slaves  to  their  masters : 
3rd,  that  pledging  the  physical  force  of  the  whole  country  to 
suppress  insurrections,  i.  e.,  attempts  to  gain  freedom  by  such 
means  as  the  framers  of  the  instrument  themselves  used. 

Act  of  Feb.  12,  1703 — Provides  that  any  master  or  his 
agent  may  seize  any  person  whom  he  claims  as  a  "  fugitive 
from  service,"  and  take  him  before  a  judge  of  the  U.  S.  court, 
or  magistrate  of  the  city  or  county  where  he  is  taken,  and  the 
magistrate,  on  proof,  in  support  of  the  claim,  to  his  satisfac- 
tion, must  give  the  claimant  a  certificate  authorizing  the 
removal  of  such  fugitive  to  the  state  he  fled  from.f 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA.  — The  act  of  congress 
incorporating  Washington  city,  gives  the  corporation  power  to 
prescribe  the  terms  and  conditions  on  which  free  negroes  and 
mulattoes  may  reside  in  the  city.  City  Laws,  6  and  11.  By 
this  authority,  the  city  in  1827  enacted  that  any  free  colored 
person  coming  there  to  reside,  should  give  the  mayor  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  his  freedom,  and  enter  into  bond  with  two 
freehold  sureties,  in  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  for  his 
good  conduct,  to  be  renewed  each  year  for  three  years ;  or  fail- 
ing to  do  so,  must  leave  the  city,  or  be  committed  to  the  work- 
house, for  not  more  than  one  year,  and  if  he  still  refuse  to  go, 
may  be  again  committed  for  the  same  period,  and  soon. — 
lb.  198. 

Colored  persons  residing  in  the  city,  who  cannot  prove  their 
title  to  freedom,  shall  be  imprisoned  as  absconding  slaves.  — 
lb.  198. 


*  By  the  operation  of  this  provision,  twelve  slaveholding  states,  whose  white 
population  only  equals  that  of  New  York  and  Ohio,  send  to  congress  24  sena- 
tors and  102  representatives,  while  these  two  states  only  send  4  senators  and  59 
representatives. 

t  Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  a  man  may  be  doomed  to  slavery  by  an  authority 
not  considered  sufficient  to  settle  a  claim  of  twenty  dollars. 


140  AffENMX. 

Colored  persons  found  without  free  papers  may  be  arresfed 
as  runaway  slaves,  and  after  two  months'  notice,  if  no  claim- 
ant appears,  must  be  advertised  ten  days,  and  sold  to  pay  their 
jail  fees.*  —  Stroud,  85,  note. 

The  city  of  Washington  grants  a  license  to  trade  in  slaves, 
for  profit,  as  agent,  or  otherwise,  for  four  hundred  dollars. 
— City  Laws,  p.  249. 

Reader,  you  uphold  these  laws  while  you  do  nothing  for  their 
repeal.  You  can  do  much.  You  can  take  and  read  the  anti- 
slavery  journals.  They  will  give  you  an  impartial  history  of 
the  cause,  and  arguments  with  which  to  convert  its  enemies. 
You  can  countenance  and  aid  those  who  are  laboring  for  its 
promotion.  You  can  petition  against  slavery ;  you  can  refuse 
to  vote  for  slaveholders  or  pro-slavery  men,  constitutions  and 
compacts ;  can  abstain  from  products  of  slave  labor ;  and  can 
use  your  social  influence  to  spread  right  principles  and  awaken 
a  right  feeling.  Be  as  earnest  for  freedom  as  its  foes  are  for 
slavery,  and  you  can  diffuse  an  anti-slavery  sentiment  through 
your  whole  neighborhood,  and  merit  "  the  blessing  of  them 
that  are  ready  to  perish." 

The  following  is  from  the  old  colonial  law  of  North  Carolina  : 
Notice  of  the  commitment  of  runaways  —  viz.,  1741,  c.  24, 
§  29.  "  An  act  concerning  servants  and  slaves." 

Copy  of  notice  containing  a  full  description  of  such  runaway 
and  his  clothing. — The  sheriff  is  to  "  cause  a  copy  of  such 
notice  to  be  sent  to  the  clerk  or  reader  of  each  church  or 
chapel  within  his  county,  who  are  hereby  required  to  make 

*  The  prisons  of  the  district,  built  with  the  money  of  the  nation,  are  used  as 
store-houses  of  the  slaveholder's  human  merchandize.  "  From  the  statement  of 
the  keeper  of  a  jail  at  Washington,  it  appears  that  in  five  years,  upwards  of 
460  colored  persons  were  committed  to  the  national  prison  in  that  city,  for  safe- 
keeping, i.  e.,  until  they  could  be  disposed  of  in  the  course  of  the  slave  trade, 
besides  nearly  300  who  had  been  taken  up  as  runaways  "  —  Miner's  Spreii 
in  H.  Rep  ,  1329 


APPENDIX.  141 

publication  thereof  by  setting  up  the  same  in  some  open  and 
convenient  place,  near  the  said  church  or  chapel,  on  every 
Lord's  day,  during  the  space  of  two  months  from  the  date 
thereof." 

1741,  c.  24,  §45. — "Which  proclamation  shall  be  pub- 
lished on  a  Sabbath  day  at  the  door  of  every  church  or  chapel, 
or,  for  want  of  such,  at  the  place  where  divine  service  shall  be 
performed  in  the  said  county,  by  the  parish  clerk  or  reader,  im- 
mediately after  divine  service ;  and  if  any '  slave  or  slaves, 
against  whom  proclamation  hath  been  thus  issued,  stay  out  and 
do  not  immediately  return  home,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any  person 
or  persons  whatsoever  to  kill  and  destroy  such  slave  or  slaves 
by  such  way  or  means  as  he  or  she  shall  think  fit,  without 
accusation  or  impeachment  of  any  crime  for  the  same." 


It  is  well  known  that  slavery  makes  labor  disreputable  in  the 
slave  states.  Laboring  men  of  the  north,  hear  how  contempti- 
bly slaveholders  speak  of  you. 

Mr.  Robert  Wickliffe  of  Kentucky,  in  a  speech  published  in 
the  Louisville  Advertiser,  in  opposition  to  those  who  were 
averse  to  the  importation  of  slaves  from  the  states,  thus  dis- 
co urseth  : 

"  Gentlemen  wanted  to  drive  out  the  black  population  that 
they  may  obtain  white  negroes  in  their  place.  White 
negroes  have  this  advantage  over  black  negroes,  they  can  be 
converted  into  voters  ;  and  the  men  who  live  upon  the  sweat  of 
their  brow,  and  pay  them  but  a  dependent  and  scanty  subsist- 
ence, can,  if  able  to  keep  ten  thousand  of  them  in  employment, 
come  up  to  the  polls  and  change  the  destiny  of  the  country. 

"  How  improved  will  be  our  condition  when  we  have  such 
white  negroes  as  perform  the  servile  labors  of  Europe,  of  old 
England,  and  he  would  add  now  of  New  England,  when  our 
body  servants  and  our  cart  drivers,  and  our  street  sweepers,  are 
white  negroes  instead  of  black.  Where  will  be  the  indepen- 
dence, the  proud  spirit,  and  chivalry  of  the  Kentuckians  then?" 


142  APPENDIX. 

"  We  believe  the  servitude  which  prevails  m  the  south  far 
preferable  to  that  of  the  north,  or  in  Europe.  Slavery  will? 
exist  in  all  communities.  There  i&  a  class  which  may  be  nom- 
inally free,  but  they  will  be  virtually  slaves."  —  Mississippiant 
July  6th,  1838. 

"  Those  who  depend  on  their  daily  kbor  for  their  daily  sub- 
sistence can  never  enter  into  political:  affairs,  they  never  dor 
never  will,  never  can."  —  B.  W.  Leigh  in  Virginia  Conven- 
tion, 1829. 

"  All  society  settles  down  into  a  classification  of  capitalists 
and  laborers.  The  former  will  own  the  latter,  either  collec- 
tively through  the  government,  or  individually  m  a  state  ©f 
domestic  servitude  as  exists  in  the  southern  states  of  this  con- 
federacy. If  laborers  ever  obtain  the  political  power  of  a 
country,  it  is  in  fact  in  a  state  of  revolution.  The  capital- 
ists north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  have  precisely  the  same 
interest  in  the  labor  of  the  country  that  the  capitalists  of 
England  have  in  their  labor.  Hence  it  is,  that  they  must  have 
a  strong  federal  government  (!)  to  control  the  labor  of  the 
nation.  But  it  is  precisely  the  reverse  with  us.  We  have 
already  not  only  a  right  to  the  proceeds  of  our  laborers,  but  we 
own  a  class  of  laborers  themselves.  But  let  me  say  to  gentle- 
men who  represent  the  great  class  of  capitalists  in  the  north, 
beware  that  you  do  not  drive  us  into  a  separate  system,  for  if 
you  do,  as  certain  as  the  decrees  of  heaven,  you  will  be  com- 
pelled to  appeal  to  the  sivord  to  maintain  yourselves  at  home.  It 
may  not  come  in  your  day  ;  but  your  children's  children  wilf 
be  covered  with  the  blood  of  domestic  factions,  and  a  plundering 
mob  contending  for  power  and  conquest."  —  Mr.  Pickens,  of 
South  Carolina,  in  Congress,  2\st  Jan.,  1836. 

"  In  the  very  nature  of  things  there  must  be  classes  of  per 
eons  to  discharge  all  the  different  offices  of  society  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest.  Some  of  these  offices  are  regarded" 
as   degraded,   although    thev    must    and   "ill   be    performed 


APPENDIX.  143 

Hence  those  manifest  forms  of  dependent  servitude  which  pro- 
duce a  sense  of  superiority  in  the  masters  or  employers,  and  of 
inferiority  on  the  part  of  the  servants.  Where  these  offices 
are  performed  by  members  of  the  political  community,  a  danger- 
ous element  is  obviously  introduced  into  the  body  politic. 
Hence  the  alarming  tendency  to  violate  the  rights  of  property 
by  agrarian  legislation  which  is  beginning  to  be  manifest  in 
the  older  states  where  universal  suffrage  prevails  without 

DOMESTIC    SLAVERY. 

"In  a  word,  the  institution  of  domestic  slavery  supersedes 
the  necessity  of  an  order  of  nobility  and  all  the  other 

APPENDAGES  OF  A  HEREDITARY  SYSTEM  OF  GOVERNMENT." 

Gov.  MDuffie's  Message  to  the  South  Carolina  Legislature, 
1636. 

"  We  of  the  south  have  cause  now,  and  shall  soon  have 
greater,  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  existence  of  a  popula- 
tion among  us  which  excludes  the  populace  which  in  effect 
rules  some  of  our  northern  neighbors,  and  is  rapidly  gaining 
strength  wherever  slavery  does  not  exist  —  a  populace  made 
up  of  the  dregs  of  Europe,  and  the  most  worthless  portion  of 
the  native  population." — Richmond  Whig,  1837. 

"  Would  you  do  a  benefit  to  the  horse  or  the  ox  by  giving 
him  a  cultivated  understanding,  a  fine  feeling  !  So  far  as  the 
mere  laborer  has  the  pri,  dethe  knowledge  or  the  aspiration  of 
a  freeman,  he  is  unfitted  for  his  situation.  If  there  are  sordid, 
servile,  laborious  offices  to  be  performed,  is  it  not  better  that 
there  should  be  sordid,  servile,  laborious  beings  to  perform 
them? 

"  Odium  has  been  cast  upon  our  legislation  on  account  of  its 
forbidding  the  elements  of  education  being  communicated  to 
slaves.  But  in  truth  what  injury  is  done  them  by  this  1  He 
who  works  during  the  day  with  his  hands,  does  not  read  in  the 
intervals  of  leisure  for  his  amusement  or  the  improvement  of 
his  mind,  or  the  exception  is  so  very  rare  as  scarcely  to  need 


144  APPENDIX. 

the  being  provided  for." — Chancellor  Harper,  of  South  Caro- 
lina. —  Southern  Lit.  Messenger. 

"  Our  slave  population  is  decidedly  preferable,  as  an  orderly 
and  laboring  class,  to  a  northern  laboring  class,  that  have  just 
learning  enough  to  make  them  wondrous  wise,  and  make  them 
the  most  dangerous  class  to  well  regulated  liberty  under  the 
sun."  —  Richmond  (Virginia)  Enquirer. 


